Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption
- Architects
- Pier Luigi Nervi Pietro Belluschi
- Year
- 1971
- Style
- Contemporary Modern
- City
- San Francisco, CA
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, completed in 1970, is the third cathedral to serve the Archdiocese of San Francisco, designed by structural engineer Pier Luigi Nervi with architect Pietro Belluschi. It replaced an 1891 cathedral that burned down in 1962; the cathedral before that, built in 1854, still stands today as Old Saint Mary's Cathedral in Chinatown.
the building
Nervi's structure. Nervi, an engineer known internationally for structural innovation, gave the cathedral its distinctive modernist form, a sharp break from the masonry Gothic and Romanesque churches that preceded it in San Francisco.
the style
The cathedral's modern architecture reflects Nervi's engineering-driven approach, a break from the two traditional masonry cathedrals it succeeded on the same site of San Francisco Catholic worship.
More on Contemporary Modernthe architect
Pier Luigi Nervi, known for his structural innovation, designed the cathedral together with architect Pietro Belluschi.
significance
The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Catholic faithful across Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties, and is the metropolitan cathedral for the Ecclesiastical Province of San Francisco.
nearby
- Theodore F. Payne House
- Japan Center (San Francisco)
- Bush Street Temple
- Tobin House
- Atherton House
- War Memorial Opera House