Photos: Saint Mary's College
California Spanish Mission Architecture
     Saint Mary’s College is a liberal arts college located in the picturesque Moraga valley about 20 minutes from San Francisco. St. Mary’s College was built between 1927 and 1928 in the traditional California Spanish Mission design, and that design has been upheld in all additions to the college. Therefore, St. Mary’s is a perfect example of the California Spanish Mission design.

   The design is characterized by stucco buildings (normally white) with red adobe roofs. Furthermore, the design is characterized by arcades connecting the buildings and beautiful courtyards and quads in-between buildings. I hope you enjoy the photos. Any comments, please E-mail me, .

Click on the title or thumbnail to view the larger picture.


The South Arcade

The Chapel of St. Mary

The Bell Tower

Another Arcade
Another noticeable aspect of this style are the bell towers. The bell towers tend to be very elaborate and covered with alcoves. Those alcoves were originally to hold statues of saints. However, in every building I have seen in this style, the statues are absent. Another noticeable aspect are the domes. The bell tower always ends in a dome and there are normally several other domes on buildings. These domes are normally brightly colored and are decorated with religious symbols.
A Court Yard

The Chapel and Chapel Lawn

Traditional Spanish Mission Building

Traditional Court Yard

St. Mary's College and Moraga Valley

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All photos by John L. Polos
Copyright February 9, 1999