The destruction of 1906 brought new possibilities to San Francisco. Bishop Nichols' vision of a cathedral literally grew out of the ashes. Inspired by cathedral building in the east, he revived the idea of a hilltop cathedral. With extraordinary generosity, the William H. Crocker family, owners of prime property near the summit of Nob Hill, agreed to give their ruined block to the diocese as a cathedral site. A banker and civic leader, William H. Crocker was the son of the late railroad magnate Charles Crocker, one of the Big Four builders of the western half of America's first transcontinental railroad. As parishioners of old Grace Church, the Crockers stipulated that the name Grace be used for the cathedral.

Temporary Grace Pro-Cathedral was built on the present site of the Interfaith Labyrinth in 1906, and a cathedral design by English architect George Bodley was considered. Bodley's sudden death led to a revised design by his partner Cecil Hare. On January 24, 1910, with Governor Gillette and other dignitaries present, Bishop Nichols dedicated the cornerstone for Hare's design. The Reverend J. Wilmer Gresham, poet and beloved pastor, was chosen as the first Dean of Grace Cathedral, serving until 1939.

In 1910, local architect Lewis P. Hobart was chosen to succeed Cecil Hare as cathedral architect. Designer of many Hillsborough estates and city office buildings, Hobart had little experience in church architecture. Following a study tour in Europe he returned with new ideas for a French Gothic-inspired cathedral design. One major change was to align the building facing west, rather than north. The design would have the facade facing a (hoped-for) park, the central space of Nob Hill, and be protected from ocean winds.

The Founders Crypt, opened in 1914, was the intended nave basement unit of the new cathedral, but lack of funds caused its use as a temporary cathedral until 1931. Following Bishop Nichols death in 1924, and the succession of Bishop Edward L. Parsons, interest in Grace Cathedral revived. The present seismically-safe concrete and steel structure (Hobart's second design, approved 1925) was begun in 1927 with the Chapel of Grace.

Cathedral and Half-Finished Nave, 1932

A $2.7 million fund drive fueled construction until 1933, when the Depression caught up to the campaign and halted work. A temporary "iron curtain" closed off the half-finished nave. The munificence of local dentist Dr. Nathaniel T. Coulson made possible the subsequent Singing (north) Tower and its 44-bell carillon from England. Construction began in 1936 and the tower, a free-standing 'campanile' for two decades, was largely finished by 1941.

During World War II, Bishop Karl Morgan Block was acting Dean, with Deans Thomas Wright and Bernard Lovgren serving subsequent short periods. With the arrival of Dean C. Julian Bartlett in 1956, and Bishop James A. Pike in 1958, came renewed interest in completing Grace Cathedral. The Golden Anniversary Committee's $3 million fund drive enabled construction to resume in 1961. Spectacular embellishments included the replica Doors of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti, and the Gabriel Loire Canticle of the Sun faceted glass rose window. On November 20, 1964, the largely completed Grace Cathedral was consecrated by Bishop Pike, witnessed by civic and national leaders, and televised live in the Bay Area. The second part of the consecration festivity was the first Holy Communion using the new central High Altar, on November 22, 1964.

In addition to his pivotal role in cathedral completion, Dean Bartlett built up the cathedral staff and congregation, and founded the Cathedral School for Boys, one of the premiere boy's schools in San Francisco. He raised the profile of Grace Cathedral both locally and nationally. A visit in 1965 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. drew the largest crowd ever gathered at the Cathedral, and later in the year Duke Ellington premiered his Sacred Concert at the Cathedral.

C. Julian Bartlett

Bishop C. Kilmer Myers took office during the turbulent late 1960s. In 1970 an anti-Vietnam War demonstration at the nearby Fairmont Hotel spilled into the Cathedral. Major challenges faced the church and Grace Cathedral, among them the ordination of women, a new Book of Common Prayer, and gay rights. In 1975 Dean Stanley F. Rodgers succeeded Dean Bartlett, but he died tragically during a cathedral service in 1977. Dean David M. Gillespie succeded Dean Rodgers in 1979, a year that also brought Bishop William E. Swing to the diocese.

The arrival of Dean Alan W. Jones in 1985 marked a new awakening in Grace Cathedral's life as a community and institution. The expansion and empowerment of the congregation, development of a ministry of spiritual discovery and growth, and the associated labyrinth project of Canon Lauren Artress, as well as the creation of GraceCom; the cathedral's media ministry, are some of the developments of Dean Alan Jones' tenure. Others include the Chapel of St. Francis/cathedral columbarium (completed 1996), the AIDS Interfaith Chapel (completed 2000), completion of the cathedral close in 1995 (a $16 million project), the start of a long-term window restoration project, and the partial re-roofing and extensive waterproofing of the Cathedral exterior. The celebration of the United Nations 50th anniversary at Grace Cathedral in 1995 was a highlight of Jones' term.

Standing at the dawn of the millennium, Grace Cathedral can truly claim to be a House of Prayer for All People, a remarkable successor to the little wooden chapel that was its seed; a great oak grown from a tiny acorn. The tireless efforts of a faithful few, the generosity of many, and the steady support of thousands, have brought the vision of a great cathedral into reality.