Then and now: See how SLO Mission looked 120 years ago compared to today
Editor’s note: This is one in our new “Then and Now” series comparing historical San Luis Obispo County photos to the same locations today.
Mission San Luis Obispo has been the heart of the community since its founding in 1772, a date that is displayed prominently on the face of the historic building.
While the building has changed over the decades and the city of San Luis Obispo has grown up around it, the mission has retained its central location at the corner of Monterey and Chorro streets since the late 1700s after it was moved out of the floodplain at the bottom of Dana Street.
A major alteration occurred after an earthquake in 1880, when the adobe church was “modernized,” covered with wood clapboard and given a steeple.
In 1920, it was damaged by a fire, before being restored to its historical appearance in 1934.
In 1970, the plaza was dedicated, closing Monterey Street to through traffic.
Using our slider tool, you can see how the Mission of today compares to the church as it looked more than a century ago, in a photo taken sometime around 1900.
In the historic photo, at left is the Lasar Building or Mission Garage, originally built around 1880. For part of the 1880s, the second floor housed the Morning Tribune newspaper. The building was torn down in 1955.
To the right is a real estate office and gunsmith torn down in the 1950s.
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Want to see more photos of how the Mission has changed over the years? Watch this video of Pierre Rademaker of Rademaker Design explaining the building’s evolution.
