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The post-World War II years were a period of significant growth for the Cathedral. John Hodges was a significant contributor. Mr. Hodges, a San Francisco probate lawyer, was relied on to invest the funds of the Cathedral. Due to his successful investment strategy, the Cathedral was able to buy the Colonial Apartments and the Bausch & Lomb building and the Philoptochos was able to fund several major projects. Several Greek Orthodox priests relied on Mr. Hodges to invest their savings in preparation for their retirement. In later years, Mr. Hodges and his wife Violet would become major donors to Stanford University.
In 1962, Annunciation was named Cathedral for the [[Metropolis Diocese of San Francisco]]. Later that year, the Annunciation community acquired an adjacent apartment building. The building was razed to make way for the building of a new community center complex. In 1965, a major renovation of the sanctuary, auditorium, and classrooms was completed. In 1981, the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company building, located at 275 Valencia Street, became available and was purchased by the Cathedral, effectively giving the community 47,000 square feet of land. The plans were modified to accommodate, in part, the inclusion of this new acquisition. The Cathedral itself was scheduled to remain as renovated.
At 5:04 on the afternoon of October 17, 1989, the [[w:1989 Loma Prieta earthquake|Loma Prieta Earthquake]] struck with a force of 7.1 on the Richter Scale. The City of San Francisco and the Bay Area were particulary hard hit by the earthquake. While the congregation of Annunciation Cathedral suffered no loss of life or personal injuries, the earthquake wreaked devastating damage to the Cathedral building. As a result, the Cathedral building was closed by the City, since structural engineers noted that a portion was in imminent danger of collapse. The parishioners voted to demolish the church and construct completely new facilities.
