MDNA WAS FOUNDED to facilitate completion of the historic survey work of the Mission Dolores Neighborhood—San Francisco’s oldest—with the goal of having appropriate areas registered as official historic districts. While this work has now been completed with a total of 7 historic districts, we’re open to having more districts and landmarks in the future. Our enduring objective is to preserve this outstanding neighborhood for future generations to enjoy.
Grants awarded
- $49,694 from the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) to hire Katherine Petrin and Associates to complete National Register Nomination for the western part of Mission Dolores Neighborhood.
- $46,500 from the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development through the San Francisco Historic Preservation Fund Committee. To have Alice Carey and Company complete the survey work in the Mission Dolores Neighborhood. Our context statement will also be updated.
- $25,000 from theMayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development through the San Francisco Preservation Fund Committee. To have Carol Roland-Nawi create an historic context statement for the Mission Dolores Neighborhood.
- $2,500 from the San Francisco Victorian Alliance. To survey Golden Gate Lutheran Church (601 Dolores), Second Church of Christ, Scientist (651-655 Dolores), Duggan’s Home (3434 17th Street), and Mission Dolores Park and. Golden Gate Lutheran Church and Second Church of Christ, Scientist were under threat of demolition, but with strong support from MDNA, have been beautifully restored and converted to a private middle school and four huge townhouses, respectively.
Documents
- MDNA – a Brief History
- MDNA Timeline 2022
- Community Outreach 2022
- Mission Dolores Neighborhood Historic Context Statement & Survey
- Golden Gate Lutheran Church 523 A and B Survey Forms
- Second Church of Christ, Scientist 532 A and B Survey Forms
- Inner Mission North Survey and Context Statement
- Mission Dolores Park, Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE), San Francisco, California [11073] Prepared by Page & Turnbull for San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, October 17, 2011. This document was triggered by our adopted historic survey and context statement.
- Newsom Letter of Support
- American Indian Cultural District
Historic preservation articles
We’ve noticed that there’s been a lot of misinformation about the issue of historic preservation in San Francisco recently. We’d therefore like to direct you to a few well-written articles that will hopefully address any concerns the community might have.
Historic photos and Internet resources
On our Photo Gallery page, you’ll find a collection of Mission Dolores historic photos with explanatory captions. The majority are presented here courtesy of the Bancroft Library/UC Berkeley, the San Francisco Public Library, the California Historical Society, and FoundSF. For those interested in learning more about the stories behind these historic images, there’s a wealth of information on the Inernet. Here’s just a small sampling:
- Home: San Francisco Public Library
- Pictorial Collection | UC Berkeley Library
- Collection Overview: California Historical Society
- FoundSF
- OldSF
- San Francisco: 1906 Earthquake and Now – in Composite – ABC News
- Gold Rush 49ers Discover the Mission – FoundSF
- David Rumsey Historical Map Collection | The Collection
- Native Americans of San Francisco de Asís | California Missions Resource Center
- Highlights of the California Mission Trail – Lonely Planet
- San Francisco de Asís History (brief slideshow) | California Missions Resource Center
- History Of The Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores)
- The Hidden Mural at Mission Dolores – FoundSF
- Unraveling the Mystery of Lake Dolores – FoundSF
- The lake that gave Mission Dolores its name and location, and how it came back to life in the 1906 earthquake | Over the line, Smokey!
- Mission History as Revealed By Creeks, Streams, Lakes and Lagoons | Burrito Justice
- Progress of the 1906 San Francisco Fire
- Charles Kendrick’s Eyewitness Account of the 1906 Earthquake
- Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco – 1906 Earthquake and Fire
- The Willows and Woodward’s Gardens
We are always looking to expand and enrich this collection of historic images, and welcome any new images you can provide. Please also let us know if you have any corrections or interesting additions to any of the images.
Historic Mission Dolores Neighborhood Plaque
In May 2013, Prado Group, the developer of the apartment building and ground-floor Whole Foods Store at 38 Dolores (formerly the S&C Ford showroom), awarded MDNA $4,000 to create a plaque in recognition of our historic neighborhood. Designed and produced pro bono by graphic designer and former MDNA board member, Gideon Kramer, the 18” diameter bronze plaque incorporates motifs from San Francisco’s rich history. Once completed, it was permanently embedded in the sidewalk at the southwest corner of Market and Dolores—the gateway to Mission Dolores—on October 31, 2013.
Workmen from Webcor Builders install the bronze commemorative plaque in the sidewalk in front of the Whole Foods Store.
