# List of the oldest buildings in California

This article lists the oldest extant buildings in California, including extant buildings and structures constructed during Spanish, Mexican, and early American rule over California. Only buildings built prior to 1850 are suitable for inclusion on this list, or the building must be the oldest of its type.
In order to qualify for the list, a structure must:
* be a recognizable building (defined as any human-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy);
* incorporate features of building work from the claimed date to at least 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height and/or be a listed building.
This consciously excludes ruins of limited height, roads and statues. Bridges may be included if they otherwise fulfill the above criteria. Dates for many of the oldest structures have been arrived at by radiocarbon dating and should be considered approximate. If the exact year of initial construction is estimated, it will be shown as a range of dates.

## 18th century

| Building | Location | First built | Use | Notes |
| Plaza de Los Ángeles | Los Angeles | 1781 | Plaza | Oldest plaza in California. |
| Serra Chapel | San Juan Capistrano | 1782 | Church | Part of Mission San Juan Capistrano. Oldest extant building in California. |
| El Cuartel | Santa Barbara | 1782 | Barracks | Part of the Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara. Second oldest extant building in California. |
| Cañedo Adobe | Santa Barbara | 1782 | Barracks | Part of the Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara. Third oldest extant building in California. |
| Ruins of Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia | Santa Margarita | 1787 | Church | Significant portions of the asistencia walls and foundations have been preserved within a large barn owned by Santa Margarita Ranch. |
| Catalan Forges | San Juan Capistrano | 1790s | Bloomery | Part of Mission San Juan Capistrano. Oldest extant metalworking structures in California. |
| Pablo Pryor Adobe | San Juan Capistrano | 1790 | Residence | Also known as the Hide House. Presumed to be the oldest extant residence in California. Private residence. |
| Mission San Francisco de Asís | San Francisco | 1791 | Church | Oldest building in City of San Francisco. The original chapel, built in 1771, was rebuilt out of adobe from 1782 to 1791. |
| Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo | Monterey | 1791-94 | Cathedral | Part of the Presidio of Monterey. Oldest stone building in California and the second oldest extant cathedral in the United States. |
| Plaza Hotel | San Juan Bautista | 1792 | Dormitory | Served as a dormitory, barrack, private residence, and a hotel. A timber second story was added in the late 1850s. |
| Old Adobe Woman's Club | Santa Clara | 1792–1800 | Residence | |
| Ortega-Vigare Adobe | San Gabriel | 1792–1805 | Residence | |
| Blas Aguilar Adobe | San Juan Capistrano | 1794 | Residence | Also known as the Casa de Esperanza. |
| Montanez Adobe | San Juan Capistrano | 1794 | Residence | |
| Rios Adobe | San Juan Capistrano | 1794 | Residence | |
| Mission San Diego de Alcalá | San Diego | 1795 | Church | First Spanish mission in Alta California. The original mission burned down in 1775 and was reconstructed out of adobe from 1776 to 1795. |
| Branciforte Adobe | Santa Cruz | 1797 | Residence | The only remaining residence of the Villa de Branciforte. |
| El Adobe de Capistrano | San Juan Capistrano | 1797 | Residence | The northern portion of the building was built in 1797. A southern extension was added in 1818. |
| Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo | Carmel | 1797 | Church | The original adobe mission, built in 1771, was rebuilt with quarried stone in 1797. |
| Luís María Peralta Adobe | San José | 1797 | Residence | Oldest building in City of San José. |
| Plaza de César Chávez | San José | 1797 | Plaza | Oldest plaza in Northern California. |
| Orella Adobes | near Goleta | 1798–1841 | Residence | |

## 19th century

| Building | Location | First built | Use | Notes |
| Ruins of Mission La Purisima | Lompoc | 1802 | Mission | The original mission was destroyed during the 1812 Ventura earthquake. Only two 7 ft (2.1 m)-high wall fragments and building foundations remains. |
| Old Mission Dam | San Diego | 1803 | Dam | First major irrigation project in California. |
| Mission San Gabriel Arcángel | San Gabriel | 1805 | Church | The original mission was destroyed by a flood and abandoned in 1776. The church of the present mission dates to 1805. |
| Great Stone Church | San Juan Capistrano | 1806 | Church | Part of Mission San Juan Capistrano. It was the only mission church incorporating six vaulted domes in its roof structure. |
| Casa de Rancho San Antonio | Bell Gardens | 1810 | Residence | Oldest building in Los Angeles County. Private residence. |
| Ruins of Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad | Soledad | 1810 | Mission | The mission quadrangle was completed in 1810. A faithful reconstruction of the mission adjacent to the ruins was completed in 1955. |
| San Antonio de Pala Asistencia | Pala | 1810 | Church | The mission church dates to 1810. |
| Simi Adobe | Simi Valley | 1810 | Residence | |
| Mission San Buenaventura | Ventura | 1812 | Church | The original church burned down in 1793 and was rebuilt out of adobe in 1812. |
| Mission San Antonio de Padua | near Jolon | 1813 | Church | The original church was rebuilt three times between 1775 and 1813. |
| Mission San Juan Bautista | San Juan Bautista | 1813 | Church | The original adobe church was rebuilt and completed in 1813. |
| Mission San Luis Rey de Francia | Oceanside | 1815 | Mission | The original church, built in 1798, was rebuilt out of adobe and completed in 1815. |
| El Molino Viejo | San Marino | 1816 | Gristmill | Oldest mill and commercial building in Southern California. |
| Covarrubias Adobe | Santa Barbara | 1817 | Residence | |
| Mission Santa Inés | Solvang | 1817 | Mission | The original mission was severely damaged during the 1812 Ventura earthquake. It was reconstructed with a larger church and rededicated in 1817. |
| Diego Sepúlveda Adobe | Costa Mesa | 1817–23 | Residence | Part of an estancia for Mission San Juan Capistrano. |
| Ávila Adobe | Los Angeles | 1818 | Residence | Oldest building in the City of Los Angeles. |
| Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa | San Luis Obispo | 1818 | Mission | The present mission buildings were gradually rebuilt out of adobe and completed in 1818. |
| Plaza de las Armas | San Diego | 1820s | Plaza | |
| Mission Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | 1820 | Mission | The mission was rebuilt four times between 1786 and 1820. |
| Casa de Carrillo | San Diego | 1821 | Residence | Oldest residence in San Diego. |
| Mission San Miguel Arcángel | San Miguel | 1821 | Church | The original church burned down in 1806 and was rebuilt out of adobe from 1816 to 1821. |
| Convento Building | Los Angeles | 1822 | Convent | The adobe convent is the only original building left of Mission San Fernando Rey de España. |
| Neary-Rodriguez Adobe | Santa Cruz | 1822–24 | Dormitory | The adobe dormitory for Native American residents is the only original building left of Mission Santa Cruz. |
| Cooper-Molera Adobe | Monterey | 1823 | Residence | |
| Mission La Purísima Concepción | Lompoc | 1823 | Mission | The original mission was destroyed during the 1812 Ventura earthquake. The present mission was completed within 10 years of being rededicated in 1813. |
| Rancho Santa Maria de Los Peñasquitos | San Diego | 1823 | Residence | |
| Rafael Gonzalez House | Santa Barbara | 1825 | Residence | |
| Hill–Carrillo Adobe | Santa Barbara | 1825–26 | Residence | |
| Dominguez Rancho Adobe | Compton | 1826 | Residence | |
| Casa de Estudillo | San Diego | 1827 | Residence | |
| Old Monterey Custom House | Monterey | 1827 | Custom house | Oldest government building in California. Served as the only port of entry to Alta California. |
| Casa de Bandini | San Diego | 1827–29 | Residence | The adobe first floor was built between 1827 and 1829. The building was later expanded during the 1840s and 1870s. |
| Casa de la Guerra | Santa Barbara | 1828 | Residence | |
| Mission Santa Clara de Asís | Santa Clara | 1828 | Mission | The mission was relocated and rebuilt several times between 1777 and 1828. |
| Catalina Verdugo Adobe | Glendale | 1828–30s | Residence | The estimated date of construction ranges from 1828 to the 1830s. |
| House of the Four Winds | Monterey | 1830s | Residence | |
| Los Feliz Adobe | Los Angeles | 1830s | Residence | The adobe residence serves as the headquarters for Griffith Park. |
| Juan de Anza House | San Juan Bautista | 1830 | Residence | |
| Saint Francis of Assisi Chapel | Warner Springs | 1830 | Church | |
| Governor Alvarado House | Monterey | 1831 | Residence | |
| Plaza de Yerba Buena | San Francisco | 1833 | Plaza | |
| Rómulo Pico Adobe | Los Angeles | 1834 | Residence | Also known as the Andrés Pico Adobe. |
| Camilo Ynitia Adobe | Novato | 1834 | Residence | The ruins of the residence are located within a wood shingle shelter. |
| Centinela Adobe | Inglewood | 1834 | Residence | Oldest building in the City of Inglewood. |
| Sherman Quarters | Monterey | 1834 | Residence | Built as a private residence in 1834. Briefly served as the quarters of Lieutenant William T. Sherman following the Conquest of California in 1847. |
| La Casa de Lopez | San Diego | 1835 | Residence | |
| La Casa de Machado y Stewart | San Diego | 1835 | Residence | |
| Larkin House | Monterey | 1835 | Residence | |
| Ríos-Caledonia Adobe | San Miguel | 1835 | Residence | |
| Salvio Pacheco Adobe | Concord | 1835 | Residence | |
| Sonoma Plaza | Sonoma | 1835 | Plaza | |
| Rancho Petaluma Adobe | Petaluma | 1835–57 | Residence | Largest building constructed during Mexican rule in California. Part of the Presidio of Sonoma. |
| Blue Wing Inn | Sonoma | 1836 | Residence | Constructed as a private residence in 1836. The property was expanded into a hotel and saloon in 1848. |
| Roberto-Suñol Adobe | San José | 1836 | Residence | |
| Robert Louis Stevenson House | Monterey | 1836 | Residence | |
| Rotchev House | near Jenner | 1836 | Residence | Part of Fort Ross, the only Russian colonial settlement in California. |
| Salvador Vallejo Adobe | Sonoma | 1836–46 | Residence | |
| Dana Adobe | Nipomo | 1837 | Residence | |
| La Casa Primera de Rancho San Jose | Pomona | 1837 | Residence | |
| Jose Maria Alviso Adobe | Milpitas | 1837 | Residence | |
| Olivas Adobe | Ventura | 1837 | Residence | The original adobe was enlarged in 1849. |
| Sonoma Barracks | Sonoma | 1837–41 | Barracks | Part of the Presidio of Sonoma. |
| José Castro House | San Juan Bautista | 1838–41 | Residence | |
| Hugo Reid Adobe | Arcadia | 1839 | Residence | |
| Berryessa Adobe | Santa Clara | 1840s | Residence | |
| Casa Soberanes | Monterey | 1840s | Residence | |
| La Casa de Machado y Silvas | San Diego | 1840s | Residence | |
| La Casa Alvarado | Pomona | 1840 | Residence | |
| Los Alamos Ranch House | Los Alamos | 1840 | Residence | |
| Moraga Adobe | Orinda | 1841 | Residence | Oldest residence in Contra Costa County. |
| Vallejo's Chapel | Sonoma | 1841 | Mission | Part of Mission San Francisco Solano. The original wooden chapel, built in 1824, was rebuilt out of adobe in 1841. |
| Sutter's Fort | Sacramento | 1841–43 | Fort | First European colonial settlement in the Central Valley. |
| Peña Adobe | Vacaville | 1842 | Residence | |
| Yucaipa Adobe | Yucaipa | 1842 | Residence | |
| Casa Dolores | Santa Barbara | 1843 | Residence | Oldest extant two-story adobe in the City of Santa Barbara. |
| Richardson Adobe | near Soledad | 1843 | Residence | |
| Casa Gutiérrez Adobe | Monterey | 1844 | Residence | |
| Leonis Adobe | Calabasas | 1844 | Residence | |
| Los Cerritos Ranch House | Long Beach | 1844 | Residence | |
| Warner's Ranch | Warner Springs | 1844–46 | Residence | |
| Jose Eusebio Boronda Adobe | Salinas | 1844–48 | Residence | |
| Casa del Oro | Monterey | 1845 | General store | Also known as the Joseph Boston Store. |
| Cayetano Juarez Adobe | Napa | 1845 | Residence | |
| Moreno Adobe | Jurupa Valley | 1845 | Residence | Oldest extant structure in Riverside County. Located within Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. |
| Adobe Flores | South Pasadena | 1846 | Residence | |
| Bale Grist Mill | Napa | 1846 | Gristmill | One of only two extant water-driven mills in the western United States. |
| Sánchez Adobe | Pacifica | 1846 | Residence | A two-story adobe believed to have been partially constructed using bricks from the nonextant San Pedro y San Pablo Asistencia. |
| California's First Theatre | Monterey | 1846–47 | Theatre | Oldest theatre in California. Built as a tavern in 1846–47. Converted to a theatre in 1850. |
| First Brick House | Monterey | 1847 | Residence | First brick building constructed in California. |
| Nash-Patton Adobe | Sonoma | 1847 | Residence | |
| Officers’ Club | San Francisco | 1847 | Officers' club | Adobe walls dating to the construction of the Presideo in the 1790s were incorporated into the front wings of the building. |
| Pacific House | Monterey | 1847 | Storehouse | Weapons storehouse built by the US Army following the Conquest of California. This building is a California Historical Landmark (#354). |
| Old Whaling Station | Monterey | 1847 | Residence | Built as a residence in 1847. Converted to the headquarters of the Monterey Whaling Company in 1855. |
| Colton Hall | Monterey | 1847–49 | Government | First seat of government of the U.S. state of California. |
| Jose Joaquin Castro Adobe | Watsonville | 1848–49 | Residence | Only two-story hacienda ever built in Santa Cruz County. |
| Vicente Martínez Adobe | near Martinez | 1849 | Residence | |
| Los Encinos De La Osa Adobe | Los Angeles | 1849–50 | Residence | |
| Chapel of the Immaculate Conception | San Diego | 1850 | Residence | Also known as the Old Adobe Church. Dedicated as a parish church in 1856. |
| Reyes Adobe | Agoura Hills | 1850 | Residence | |
| Union Square | San Francisco | 1850 | Plaza | |
| William Heath Davis House | San Diego | 1850 | Residence | Also known as the Davis-Horton House. |
| Benicia Capitol | Benicia | 1852 | City hall | Oldest extant city hall in California. |
| Mariposa County Courthouse | Mariposa | 1854 | Courthouse | Oldest courthouse in California. |
| Point Pinos Lighthouse | Pacific Grove | 1855 | Lighthouse | Oldest lighthouse on the West Coast. |
| National Exchange Hotel | Nevada City | 1856 | Hotel | Oldest continuously operated hotel on the West Coast. |
| Old Bidwell Bar Bridge | Oroville | 1856 | Bridge | First suspension bridge built in California. The bridge was relocated in 1966 prior to the creation of Lake Oroville. |
| Buena Vista Winery | Sonoma | 1857 | Winery | Oldest commercial winery in California. |
| Whaley House | San Diego | 1857 | Residence, Courthouse & Pharmacy | Oldest brick structure in Southern California. |
| Fort Point | San Francisco | 1861 | Fort | The only extant Third System fortification in the western United States. |
| Bridgeport Covered Bridge | Penn Valley | 1862 | Bridge | Oldest covered bridge in California & longest wooden covered bridge in the world. |
| Menlo Park station | Menlo Park | 1867 | Train station | Oldest train station in California. |
| San Buenaventura Pier | Ventura | 1870 | Pier | Oldest pier in California. |
| Weaverville Joss House | Weaverville | 1874 | Taoist temple | Oldest continuously-operating Taoist temple in California. |
| Temple Beth Israel | San Diego | 1889 | Synagogue | Tied with Temple Beth Sholom for the oldest extant synagogue in California. |
| Temple Beth Sholom | San Leandro | 1889 | Synagogue | Tied with Temple Beth Israel for the oldest extant synagogue in California. |
| Old Chronicle Building | San Francisco | 1890 | Office | First skyscraper in California. |
| Pope Street Bridge | St. Helena | 1894 | Bridge | Oldest stone arch bridge in California. |

## 20th century

| Building | Location | First built | Use | Notes |
| Vedanta Society Old Temple | San Francisco | 1905 | Hindu temple | The third floor and towers were added in 1908. Oldest Hindu temple in the United States. |
| Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk | Santa Cruz | 1907 | Amusement park | Oldest extant amusement park in California. The park operates the Giant Dipper, the oldest roller coaster in California. |
| Minor Theater | Arcata | 1914 | Movie theater | Oldest purpose-built movie theater in the United States. |
| Tassajara Zen Mountain Center | Carmel | 1967 | Monastery | Oldest Japanese Buddhist Sōtō Zen monastery in the United States, and the first Zen monastery established outside of Asia. |