Mission San Juan Capistrano

Easily the oldest building (or in this case, complex) to make this guide, Orange County’s only California Mission is a reminder that the development of Orange County is not only a symptom of the United States’ western expansion. Mission San Juan Capistrano’s most prominent structure is the chapel (or what remains of it), in particular, the bell tower. Towering multiple stories, the tower is essentially an extruded wall that is rounded at the top. The bells sit in multiple arched cutouts in this wall/tower. Over distinguishing features of the historic mission are the adobe and stone buildings with their red tile roofs, central courtyard and pond, and the mature olive trees that dot the complex. (2017)