Mission San Francisco de Asís -- better known as Mission Dolores -- is the oldest intact building in San Francisco, founded in 1776 and completed in 1791. The small adobe chapel is remarkably well preserved, with thick whitewashed walls, original timber beams lashed with rawhide, and a painted ceiling featuring Ohlone designs discovered under layers of whitewash in 1910.
Next door stands the much larger Mission Dolores Basilica, built in 1918. Between them lies a small cemetery with graves dating back to the 1830s and thousands of unmarked Ohlone burials beneath. The quiet garden offers a striking contrast to the busy Mission District streets just outside the gates.