5/5 Heather B. 5 years ago on Google
Important
Note:
this
church
has
not
offered
mass
or
other
church
services
since
1989
after
the
Loma
Prieta
earthquake
hit.
The
owner
could
not
afford
repairs,
so
the
church
sat
vacant
for
many
years.
In
2012,
a
plan
was
approved
to
renovate
the
church,
converting
the
interior
into
office
spaces
while
preserving
the
exterior
of
this
beautiful
historical
landmark.
The
renovations
were
postponed
due
to
zoning
changes,
but
finally
started
in
2016.
Don't
waste
your
time
coming
here
looking
for
mass,
confession,
baptism,
or
any
other
religious
services.
There
will
be
no
priest
on
duty.
Since
the
renovation,
the
stunning
Neo-Romaneque
architecture
is
now
lit
up
at
night,
providing
yet
another
gem
dazzling
in
SF's
nighttime
cityscape,
and
another
reminder
of
the
rich
history
in
which
San
Francisco
is
steeped.
A
bit
of
history
for
this
registered
historical
landmark:
The
current
church
is
quite
old
(the
first
cornerstone
was
laid
in
1913),
however
it
is
actually
the
3rd
reincarnation.
The
first
St.
Joseph's
Church
was
built
on
this
property
in
1861...
think
about
that
for
a
moment...
before
the
Civil
War
even
started!
The
first
church
became
too
small
to
hold
its
growing
Irish-Catholic
congregation,
so
a
new
structure
was
built
in
1865.
It
was
destroyed
in
the
fires
following
the
epic
1906
quake
that
devastated
so
much
of
San
Francisco.
The
current
church
was
designed
by
John
Foley
(the
same
architect
who
designed
The
Church
of
Five
Wounds
in
San
Jose
and
St.
Elizabeth's
Church
in
Oakland).
Before
the
Loma
Prieta
earthquake,
the
church
was
an
important
resource
for
its
predominantly
Phillipino
parish.
In
April,
1979,
the
Image
of
the
Santo
Niño
de
Cebu,
the
Philippines'
patron
saint,
was
erected
in
the
church.
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