St. Paul's Catholic Church (San Francisco)

The twin stone spires of Saint Paul's Catholic Church rise above the surrounding neighborhood, their gothic arches visible from nearly every street in Noe Valley. Built in nineteen eleven, the church replaced an earlier wooden structure to accommodate a growing congregation of Irish immigrants. When the archbishop once ordered the parish to close due to rising costs, the parishioners fought back, famously raising the funds themselves to keep the doors open and the church standing right where it is today.