Why San Xavier Mission’s towers are different
By Cronkite News Service
The east tower of San Xavier Mission is missing a dome. The detail work is less intricate and is missing balustrades that would make it match the west tower. Historians and enthusiasts have long speculated on why the east tower was never finished.
One theory holds that the dome was never built in order to skirt tax laws that exempted unfinished buildings. But the most likely reason is that the builders simply ran out of money, said Vernon Lamplot, the executive director of Patronato San Xavier, a nonprofit organization that raises money to protect and restore the iconic mission.