San Gabriel Mission

The women's division of the San Gabriel Chamber of Commerce last week presented to the city 15 "Welcome to San Gabriel" signs. During ceremonies Tuesday, the first sign was installed near the San Marino border at North Mission and Domingo drives. The metal signs are 24 by 34 inches and are mounted on wood poles. With light brown background and dark brown lettering, the signs include the community's motto "City With a Mission" and a church bell logo to symbolize the San Gabriel Mission.

The San Gabriel Mission is older than the American Republic. In 1776, while the English colonies that would become the United States were fighting for their independence, the mission hosted Col. Juan Bautista de Anza and a Mexican delegation traveling from Sonora en route to establish San Francisco. This is one of the richest and most atmospheric of all the California missions.

The Ortega-Vigare Adobe, a state registered landmark named for two of its past owners and situated near the San Gabriel Mission, was built between 1792 and 1806 by a soldier of the mission guard and his family, who lived there for several generations. After several transformations, the adobe became a home with modern-day conveniences coupled with Mission-style aesthetic touches.

NEW HOME: The San Gabriel Unified School District is graduating to a new building. The district office is negotiating with the Borden Co. to buy the 79,500-square-foot building when the dairy company's subsidiary moves to Canada in May, Assistant Supt. Joseph Crawford said. The move will give the cramped district more space and allow the whole operation to work under one roof.

The historic San Gabriel Mission, closed since it was damaged in the October earthquake, will not be reopened in the near future because of a lack of funds for repairs, officials say. Mission officials estimate it will cost at least $2 million to make the mission and a museum usable again, but so far have raised only about $520,000. Of that amount, $350,000 came from the state Office of Emergency Services and can only be used to repair the museum.

Concerned about the proliferation in recent years of unruly development projects, the City Council voted Tuesday to set up a 7-person design review board to ensure that plans for future commercial projects or multiunit residential buildings are compatible with existing buildings. Council members have expressed a concern for, among other things, the preservation of the city's mission-style decor. San Gabriel is the home of the San Gabriel Mission, which was established in 1771.

An 8.6-by descendants of Los Angeles' settlers will form the centerpiece of historic reenactments, music and celebrations to mark the 225th anniversary of the city's founding on Sept. 4, 1781. In this final installment of a yearlong series of graphics leading up to the anniversary, here is a look at the festivities planned through Monday: Spain claims land: Explorer Juan Cabrillo sails into the Bay of San Pedro and claims the area for the Spanish crown. Founding of pueblo: Gov.

The six bells that used to ring out across miles of open land from the mission tower now sit silent. Earthquake-stricken adobe walls stand with the help of wooden supports. Renovation continues at the San Gabriel Mission, and if all goes as planned, the unsteady buildings will stand on their own and the bells will ring again in time for the mission's 225th anniversary next September.

The historic San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, damaged in the Oct. 1 earthquake, is scheduled to reopen Feb. 12 after interior repairs are completed. Repairs to the ceiling began this week, said auditorium manager Bill Shaw, and are expected to be finished in time for the San Gabriel Valley Civic Light Opera's production of "42nd Street," which will run Feb. 12 to 28.