National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi

The National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi is located in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. Established in June of 1849, the Saint Francis Parish predates both the incorporation of San Francisco and the statehood of California. Rebuilt in 1859, the current church survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, and was later restored in 1919. The church was designated a historical landmark by the California Historical Society in 1972 and serves as a pro-cathedral of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

The building was placed on the Unreinforced Masonry Building (UMB) list by the City of San Francisco, which mandated the Archdiocese of San Francisco to perform structural retrofits that will take the building off the UMB list. Project Management Advisors, Inc. (PMA) began managing the project during the preconstruction phase. PMA’s responsibilities included managing the schedule and budget, as well as coordinating the permit and utility process with the City of San Francisco and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). To achieve the Archdiocese’s goal of completing the retrofit work while maintaining the Shrine’s historical character and integrity, two eminently qualified design firms were engaged to tackle the project, Architectural Resources Group and Murphy Burr Curry.

Along with structural reinforcements to existing walls and towers, utility upgrades, including installation of a new PG&E electrical transformer, will be installed in preparation for future phases of work.. Future planned work includes a remodeled community room and kitchen, the addition of accessible bathrooms, and an elevator that will provide access from the street level tower entry to the main nave floor level.