Mission San Gabriel and its “reimagined museum” are set to reopen on July 1. Previously overlooked Native American history in the San Gabriel area will take a spotlight in the museum…
Three years after Mission San Gabriel was nearly destroyed by fire, the more than 250-year-old church is set to reopen on July 1, capping a multimillion-dollar drive to restore the landmark after months of delays and introduce a long-in-the-works effort to “re-imagine” the narrative of its impact on Indigenous people.
Fallen debris from the roof and ceiling, and firefighters’ heavy equipment, caused severe cracks in the floor tiles. And a stunned church community, and the city of San Gabriel where the landmark resides, faced a long journey of restoration ahead. The inside of the church after a fire tore through the church at Mission San Gabriel destroying the inside of the 245-year-old building in San Gabriel on Saturday, July 11, 2020.
In September, church leaders offered a glimpse, ahead of a Mass that celebrated the end of its jubilee. The Mission opened its doors to the public during a one-day event on Sept. 8. A Mass two days later celebrated the founding of the mission. But it closed again for additional art restoration work, which required a dust-free environment. At the time it was projected to reopen in early December. But delays persisted.
The Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in San Gabriel on Thursday, Sept. 8th, 2022. The location sustained major damage from a July 2020 fire, but will be open to the public for a service this Friday. RLA Conservation worker, Sonia Jerez Frap, paints some architecture inside of the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in San Gabriel on Thursday, Sept. 8th, 2022.
Workers build the altar inside of the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in San Gabriel on Thursday, Sept. 8th, 2022. . Back in 2020, Gomez wrote that he has “come to understand how the image of Father Serra and the missions evokes painful memories for some people.” That has not stopped many critics reflecting on Serra’s legacy to see him as an invader of indigenous lands. Church officials say they are trying to acknowledge the historical impact of the Mission on Indigenous people.
“We used to have a story focused on the missionaries of this area,” said Steven Hackel, a UC Riverside history professor who secured several grants, including $25,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and $30,000 from the California Bishops Council to help cover costs for his team’s work on the museum.
RLA Conservation worker, Sonia Jerez Frap, paints some architecture inside of the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in San Gabriel on Thursday, Sept. 8th, 2022. The location sustained major damage from a July 2020 fire. The Wall of Names is a memorial in honor of the Native American community. The wall is a complete name list of 7,054 Native Americans who were once baptized at Mission San Gabriel, between 1771 and 1848. It also includes the person’s tribal affiliation. Sandoval was mindful of one person who won’t be at the special ceremony for dignitaries and Indigenous representatives in the coming week.– physically anyway.
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