Style 101: Mission Revival

Burlingame Railroad Station, Burlingame, CA | Photograph by Rebecca McManus, 2016

The Mission Revival style was born in California in the early 1890s, when the California Building at the World’s Columbian Exposition was constructed in a style that recalled the Spanish mission architecture of California’s past. Mission Revival architecture was further popularized when the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific rail companies built depots and stations in the style in the following decades. The defining characteristics of the style are its Mission-shaped dormers or parapet walls and the addition of Islamic architectural details, which made its way into historic Mission architecture through the Spanish. 

There are over 900 Mission Revival style resources designated in San Diego. Could yours be next? Check out our handy infographic below to see if your property features the defining characteristics of the Mission Revival style!