California missions spotlight: The city of San Luis Obispo takes its name from this mission

San Luis Obispo de Tolosa

Fifth mission

1772

Explore all of California’s 21 famed missions >>

This mission may have been one of the first to use tiles extensively on its roof instead of thatch — apparently because of attacks by Native Americans using flaming arrows. In the 1870s, workers modernized the mission by adding a New England-style belfry and replacing tiles with shingles. A renovation in the 1930s returned the complex to early mission style. Concerts here often feature bell-ringers.

------------
FOR THE RECORD:
California missions: An article in the Sept. 7 Travel section about Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa said that it may have been the first California mission to use tiles extensively on its roof instead of thatch. A 1776 letter from Father Junipero Serra suggests that the first roof tiles were installed at Mission San Antonio de Padua, about 80 miles north of San Luis Obispo. —
------------
Nearby: San Luis Obispo Creek, which runs along the south side of the mission, is flanked by a walking path with public artworks. Try that, then sidle over to Higuera Street, the main drag of lively SLO, which is just a block south of the mission. On Thursday nights, one of the state’s best farmers markets takes place on five blocks of Higuera, from Osos to Nipomo streets.

Info: 782 Monterey St. (parking lot access from Palm Street), San Luis Obispo; (805) 543-6850, www.missionsanluisobispo.org. Driving distance from Los Angeles City Hall: 188 miles northwest.

From the archives:

In 1882, The Times wrote about a visit to San Luis Obispo and the mission school’s good reputation.

In 2011, The Times wrote about how a visit to the San Luis Obispo mission sparked a curator to begin a 10-year project, the organization of an exhibition of mission artwork from Europe, Mexico and the U.S.

Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >>