St. Joseph's Church — Attraction in San Francisco

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...

This is a social and meeting space nestled in a repurposed church. The old pulpit is still there. The Gerrymandering concept was a concept embodied in a quilting exhibition. It is an elegant, quite posh venue reminiscent of the cigar lounge one would see in a British show on public TV. It's a beautiful space filled with old furniture and a lot of books that are accent pieces rather than for reading. Must be nice to afford that.

The venue is for gathering as a part of the society, for the society's exhibitions, for renting out. It's not a public space accessible to just anyone who walks in...

My friend used to go to Catholic school here lol. Now it's a hip event space that's completely redone but still has elements of the old church. It's a trippy, psychedelic experience - like rollerskating at the Church of 8 Wheels.

I attended a drag and bagel brunch which was really fun. There's a bar on the bottom floor, and they had the bagels available on the top floor. The performers performed on the "altar" and there wasn't a bad seat in the house. I would definitely come back to check out another...