1939 - 1995

Frank J. Portman, president of the Frank Portman Company and our Restoration Project contractor was called to God one week before our celebration to mark the completion of the Old Mission Dolores Restoration Project. From the inception of the Project in 1991 through the last weeks of his life, Frank Portman dedicated himself to the success of every aspect of the effort to restore Mission Dolores and preserve it for the future.

Like his grandfather and father, Frank Portman and other family members have worked on Mission Dolores for years. Frank was devoted to restoring the Mission properly and to educating young and old about the contribution of the California Missions to our heritage. Thanks in large part to Frank, present and future generations can now see how the Mission looked at the height of the Mission period.

This Diorama was created for the 1939 World's Fair on Treasure Island. In 1985 the City needed to clear storage space and offered it to Mission Dolores. Frank Portman, seeing it's future value to visitors stored it for ten years. Finally, when project funding permitted, Frank directed the restoration and careful installation of the diorama in this area between the Basilica and the Old Mission.

The Diorama depicts how the Mission looked in 1799 with Twin Peaks, the Mission and Yerba Buena Hills in the background.

In grateful appreciation for Frank Portman's contribution to the success of the Restoration Project, the diorama will be known in perpetuity as the Frank Portman Mission Dolores Diorama. God bless you Frank!

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