By Michael D. Lampen, Grace Cathedral Archivist
Introduction
Unseen by the public for a century, the first designs for Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, marked a bold venture for George F. Bodley, one of England's finest Gothic revival architects. Not only was the site far off in America's far west, but the hillside site presented a major challenge.
The close, or precincts, of the future Grace Cathedral occupied a San Francisco city block on historic Nob Hill. The block was home to early San Francisco residents beginning in 1853, and was then bought by railroad tycoon Charles Crocker. His mansion, and his son William's adjacent mansion, burned in the fire that destroyed much of San Francisco following the great 1906 earthquake. In an extraordinary act of philanthropy, William H. Crocker and the other heirs of Charles Crocker gave the entire block to the Episcopal Diocese of California as the future site of Grace Cathedral.
Bishop William F. Nichols, Second Bishop of California, was the visionary who worked toward a cathedral. The cathedral idea was in the air, both in England and America. In England, Truro Cathedral had begun construction in 1880 and Liverpool Cathedral in 1904. In America, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine had begun construction in 1892 and Washington Cathedral was in early design. In the summer of 1906, partnered with his American pupil Henry Vaughan, noted English Gothic Revival architect George F. Bodley had been appointed co-architect of Washington Cathedral, his first American project. Bishop Nichols probably learned of Bodley's appointment from Bishop Henry Y. Satterlee, First Bishop of Washington, and had extended an invitation to Bodley to work on preliminary designs for Grace Cathedral as well. On March 27, 1907, Bodley was appointed architect of Grace Cathedral. He began work on the cathedral design in April, aided by his de-facto partner Cecil G. Hare. San Francisco architect Lewis P. Hobart was appointed as local representative and liaison to the cathedral authorities.
The site was a topographic challenge for Bodley. The cathedral close, 2.4 acres in extent, is located on the sloping crest south of the true summit of Nob Hill, which rises to its 376 foot summit one and a half blocks to the north. The close measures 402.5 feet by 265 feet. California and Sacramento Streets bordered the long dimension of the block to the south and north, Jones and Taylor Streets the short dimension, to the west and east. California Street, the wide main thoroughfare over the south shoulder of Nob Hill, gently rises 22 feet from east to west, adjacent to the close. Its intersection with Jones Street, at 300 feet elevation, is the highest point anywhere along the street. Adjacent on the west, Jones Street rises 38 feet from south to north. On the east is level Taylor Street, rising only two feet from south to north. On the north, Sacramento Street rises a formidable 58 feet from east to west. The intersection of Jones and Sacramento Streets is thus 60 feet higher than the California and Taylor Street intersection. At 338 feet elevation the intersection is also the highest on Nob Hill and the highest point anywhere along Jones and Sacramento Streets.
The cathedral authorities already had general plans as to the layout of buildings on the block, as recommended by Bishop Nichols with the Crocker family approval. The cathedral was to occupy the western end of the block, adjacent to Jones Street, making it a dominant building on Nob Hill. Bishop Nichols had often expressed the wish that the cathedral occupy a prominent site, with a spire-topping cross visible to ships at sea. The façade, or main entrance, would be on California Street, resulting in a north-facing building. Much of the cathedral would stand on the site of the William H. Crocker mansion, which had occupied the southwest portion of the block, permanently honoring the memories and the generosity of the principal donors of the site. To the east, a complex of auxiliary buildings, cloisters and courtyards would fill the close, protected from prevailing west winds and winter storms by the bulk of the cathedral. The building would also need to have a steel frame, due to the local earthquake risk.
A transcontinental/trans-Atlantic correspondence commenced between Hobart, on site, and Bodley and Hare, in London. In June, Bodley and Hare submits the first designs for Grace Cathedral. Hobart responded with more questions and requested revisions. Bodley's unexpected death on October 12th, 1907 left the project in the hands of his assistant and partner, Cecil Hare (1843-1923). Hare's radically revised design, submitted in 1909, led to the official but premature cornerstone laying in January, 1910. (Hare's design will be displayed in a future web-site feature.) In the end, unfortunately, the vast distance between London and San Francisco proved to be too great. The cathedral authorities decided that Hare needed to be on site or not involved. Nob Hill, San Francisco proved to be too far from Gray's Inn Square, London. Hare was let go in 1910, and Lewis Hobart was made architect of the future Grace Cathedral. The cathedral design was changed to an east-west position and further modified. Construction of Hobart's design began in 1928 and Grace Cathedral was completed in 1964.