There is much to be done in order to preserve Mission San Juan Capistrano. Net revenues are raised from Mission hosted corporate events and special events are directed toward preservation. Membership dues derived from the Preservation Society are directed toward much-needed repair and conservation. However, these programs are not enough to save the Mission. Donations and gifts from supporters are integral to realizing the dream of a more authentic, historically accurate, and a continued legacy for California’s “Jewel of the Missions” – Mission San Juan Capistrano. The list of things to work on is extensive and requires funding and support from a variety of sources.
Current Efforts
Front Courtyard Fountain
Before Conservation
After Conservation
Mission San Juan Capistrano announces the conservation of its early 1920s Front Courtyard fountain that was installed by Monsignor St. John O’Sullivan. The nearly 100-year-old fountain measures 22 feet in diameter and measures 7-foot-tall at its center. The basin holds over 200 gallons of fresh water and is complimented by lily pads and koi fish who also make this space their home. The fountain rehabilitation project involved cleaning and removing previous treatments. The fountain’s basin was replastered with a natural grey cement finish. This $5,000 preservation project was funded by private donations given during the pandemic.
Preservation in Action
Preservation Highlights
• Saint Serra Statue Relocation
• Great Stone Church Architectural Lighting
• Seismic Monitoring of the Great Stone Church Ruins (GSC)
• Native American Memorial Plaque
• Front Courtyard Fountain Rehabilitation Project
• Madeline Martin Swinden “Inspiration” Memorial Rose Garden
• Historic Grounds Security Camera Project
• Serra Chapel Cemetery Improvement Project
• Pest Management Program Inspection
• Soldiers Barracks Mud Plaster Treatment
• El Camino Real Bell Plaque
• Soldiers Barracks Patio Upgrades
• Seismic Monitoring of the Great Stone Church Ruins (GSC)
• 1920s North Wing Administration Building Kitchen Remodel and Rehabilitation Project
• El Camino Real Bell Project
• Historic Mission Campus Map Project
• Seismic Monitoring of the Great Stone Church Ruins (GSC)
• Gate House/Mission Store Signage
• Historic Bells Conservation
• Pathway Lighting
• North Wing Administration Offices – Restrooms and Break Room Remodel/Rehab
• Historic Grounds Security Project
• Security Mobile Command Center (SMCC)
• Seismic Monitoring of the Great Stone Church Ruins
• Conservation Assessment of Father O’Sullivan’s Native American Monument and Burial Marker
• Great Stone Church Repairs
• Serra Chapel Cleaning and Re-lamp Project
• Mission Store Lighting Upgrades
• Seismic Monitoring of the Great Stone Church Ruins
• Mission Maintenance Workshop Improvements
• Site Drainage Improvements
• Serra Chapel Pergola Painting Project
• Serra Chapel Interior Maintenance Repairs
• Mission Arcade Lighting Timers
• Mission Store Storage Improvements (Sala)
• Serra Chapel Fire Sprinkler 5 Year Inspection
• Historic Bells, New Ropes
• Serra Chapel Interior Finishes – Conservation
• Serra Chapel Clerestory Window Repair
• West Gate Beautification Project
• Front Courtyard Decomposed Granite Pathways
• North Wing Restroom Rehabilitation Project, Phase 1
• SDG&E LED Lighting Upgrade Project
• Facilities Department Project Management / Work Order Software
• Plumbing Upgrades
• Mission Shop Concrete Pathway
• Orange County Historical Commission Plaque
• South Wing 2nd Floor Window Repairs
• West Wing Spanish Room Upgrades
• Swallows Experiment Phase 2 “Nest Reenactment Exhibit”
• Sacred Garden Site Work
• Great Stone Church Restroom Rehabilitation Project
• Sala Preservation Project
• Sacred Garden Fountain
• Legacy of Saint Serra Exhibit
• Campanario Timber Stabilization Project, Bell Project
• Gate House Hand Painted Sign / Mission Store Hours
• East Gate (Serra Gate) Accessibility Project Phase 2
• East Gate (Serra Gate) Accessibility Project Phase 1
•Serra Chapel Choir Loft Staircase Handrail
• Olive Mill Stabilization Project
• Sala Flag Project
• Serra Chapel Organ Project and Interior Preventative Maintenance Repairs
• Sacred Garden and Great Stone Church Fountain Pump Upgrades
• Gate House Preservation Project
• Great Stone Church — Bell Tower Display of Original Bells
• 1919 Gate House Sign Program
• 1919 Gate House Rehabilitation Project
• Master Preservation Project List
• Great Stone Church Sacristy Monitoring
• Gate House Preservation Project, Gate House Rehabilitation Project
• Serra Chapel Pew Kneelers
• Disguising Modern Appliances
• Great Stone Church Sacristy Monitoring
• Serra Chapel Choir Loft Window Restoration, Phase 1
• Lewis and Clark Expedition Across America
• Master Preservation Project List
• Mission Treasures Exhibit
• Gate House Building Conditions Assessment Report
• Gate House Preservation Project
• Sacred Garden Archway Stabilization
• North Wing Roof Repair
• Preservation Field Office and Facilities Shop Fumigation
• Gate House Preservation Project, Gate House Rehabilitation Project
• Mission Arcade Lighting Project
• Great Stone Church Roof Repair
• Great Stone Church Sacristy Monitoring
• Preservation Department Document Project
• West Wing Security Camera System
• Preservation Projects, Tier 2 see MPPL
• West Wing Building Upgrade Project
• Mission Parish School Garage and Passageway Re-Roof Project
• Serra Statue Cross
• Unmasking Zorro: The History and Legend of the Original “Curse of Capistrano” Zorro Exhibit • Project
Immaculate Conception Painting
• South Wing Dinning Room Door Project
• Restroom Preservation Project
• Serra Chapel Breezeway Chandelier
• Great Stone Church Sacristy Monitoring
• West Wing Fire Alarm
• Serra Chapel Interior Preventative Maintenance and Repairs
• Soldiers Barracks AV Upgrade
• Rectory Plaster Restoration Project
• Great Stone Church Sacristy Monitoring
• Gold Rush Exhibit
• The Mission Arcade Lighting Project
• Serra Chapel Conservation Project
• South Wing Conservation Project
• Serra Chapel Sacristy Rehabilitation Project
• Mission Campus Water Main Repair
• West Wing Re-Roof Project
• South Wing Dormitory Conservation Project
• Great Stone Church Sacristy Monitoring
In the 1990s, Mission San Juan Capistrano embarked on a fundraiser offering the sale and purchase of tiles for people to inscribe personal messages, celebrate an occasion or commemorate a person. The nature of those tiles was for the purpose of raising needed funds for the stabilization of the Great Stone Church ruins. Now, more than a decade since their sale, many are falling apart and are within the scope of the area affected by the larger Gate House Preservation Project. As such, the Mission leadership wants to continue to celebrate the support of these many special friends and supporters by providing recognition digitally of these special friends of Mission San Juan Capistrano.
What Can a Save America’s Treasures Grant do for a Community?
Listen below to Mechelle Lawrence Adams, Executive Director, Mission San Juan Capistrano, explain how receiving a Save America’s Treasures (SAT) grant in 2000 not only helped preserve the ruins of the Mission’s Great Stone Church but also enlivened this historic landmark and the downtown community.
Adams shares that SAT “allowed us to bring people onto these grounds and to pay attention to the human spirit of the past as stewards today”. The “work that we do isn’t just about saving structures but is actually about saving the identity and the plan and the meaning of a community and a place”.
For the Mission, the Save America’s Treasures grant was an investment that engaged the community in bringing about inspiration, education, preservation, and celebration. And perhaps most importantly of all, the return of the swallows to Capistrano!
Mission San Juan Capistrano Commemorative Guide
Want to learn more about the history of Mission San Juan Capistrano and preservation efforts over the years? Mission San Juan Capistrano Official Commemorative Guide colorfully overviews the Mission’s 230 plus year history. With beautiful photos, drawings, artifacts, and paintings, readers will be engaged in the stories and people of the past, and the Mission’s bright future as a place of inspiration, education and celebration. Mission San Juan Capistrano Official Commemorative Guide is an ideal souvenir for student Mission reports and as a teachers resource.
