Rebuilding Riverside Plaza
![Circa 1960 - Riverside Plaza](https://raincrosssquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1950s-rivplaza-300x225.jpg)
Last summer, the early stages of demolition began at the Riverside Plaza.
This past week, the last remaining buildings — outside of the spared Harris-Gottschalks department store — were finally brought down. A noteworthy change to Riverside’s oldest mall, which originally opened as an outdoor mall in three stages between June 1956 and September 1957 and was enclosed during a 1983/84 renovation.
Demolition should end any day now, and by February the centerpiece of the plaza’s new face is scheduled to begin going up: a 16-screen Signature movie theater.
The start of theater construction should be followed closely by a Main Street-styled row of shops and restaurants to include Cold Stone Creamery and Chipotle, said Bill Kenney, project developer.
The theater and many of the retailers will be open by fall 2004, he said.
Riverside Press-Enterprise – December 6, 2003
![July 2003 - Pre-2004 signage on Central Avenue for the Riverside Plaza (RXSQ)](https://raincrosssquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/riv-2003-riv-plaza-gallery-001-300x225.jpg)
Now, the real work begins to transform the site into a 500,000 sq. ft. outdoor shopping plaza — ironically, similar to how the Plaza was prior to an add-a-roof renovation in 1984.
Related
- Riverside Press-Enterprise – Plaza demolition nearly complete (Dec. 6)
![July 2003 - Original Vons building that faced north toward Merrill Avenue (RXSQ)](https://raincrosssquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/riv-2003-riv-plaza-gallery-002.jpg)
![July 2003 – Vons signage and front elevation (RXSQ)](https://raincrosssquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/riv-2003-riv-plaza-gallery-003.jpg)
![July 2003 – Tear down of the eastern end of the former main corridor near Montgomery Ward and Vons (RXSQ)](https://raincrosssquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/riv-2003-riv-plaza-gallery-007.jpg)
![July 2003 – Former main entrance on Central Avenue side of Plaza (with Harris’ building in background at top left) (RXSQ)](https://raincrosssquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/riv-2003-riv-plaza-gallery-010.jpg)
Gallery: Riverside Plaza v1 & v2 – 1956 to 2003
Sources: Riverside Press-Enterprise (RDP-19560627, RDP-19561114, RIE-19570930, DE-19661013, PE-20031206); NOTE: Published dates for some online versions of newspaper articles cited may not match their archival source date.
2024 PAGE UPDATE: Added newspaper citation/insert; added original opening timeframe; added photo gallery; removed outdated links to newspaper article.
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