Year: 2006

Downtown coffee wars

Downtown coffee wars

With condos on the horizon and a sizeable workforce already in place, a coffee battle of sorts may soon brew in Riverside as both Starbucks Coffee and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf prepare to open outlets within the downtown core. Their arrival marks the first significant challenge to local outfits Back to the Grind, Coffee…

2006 - Partial opening of connector from eastbound 91 to eastbound 60/southbound I-215 (Riverside Press-Enterprise)

Rebuilt Riverside interchange partially opens

The first significant portion of the soon-to-be rebuilt 60/91/215 interchange in downtown Riverside opened this week, bringing some long-awaited relief for locals and commuters alike, many of which have come to despise the antiquated interchange. Drivers headed toward the interchange from the west – from Riverside, Corona and Orange County – until recently drove almost into the interchange before…

Circa 1966 - Original designs of downtown Riverside's pedestrian mall prior to 2008/2009 renovation (Ruhnau Clarke Architects)

Herman Ruhnau, AIA

Last month, one of Southern California’s notable post-war architects, Herman Otto Ruhnau, passed away at the age of 93 in Riverside, a city in which he left a distinctive architectural legacy. A German by descent, Ruhnau was born September 1, 1912, in Santa Barbara, California. Ruhnau would eventually move with his family to Pasadena before…

Circa 1920s - Riverside County Courthouse (Museum of Riverside)
|

Then & Now – Riverside County Courthouse

Considered one of the finest examples of Beaux Arts Classical architecture in the nation, the Riverside County Courthouse is a gem among civic buildings. Designed by Franklin Pierce Burnham of the architectural firm of Burnham and Bliesner of Los Angeles, the 1903 courthouse is patterned after the Grand Palais (Grand Palace) from the 1900 Universal…

2006 – Proposed lifestyle center at Garrett Ranch in west Hemet (Garrett Group LLC)

Garrett Ranch – Hemet

With a fast-growing population and surging retail market, it’s no real surprise that another mall has been proposed within Inland Southern California. The latest proposal calls for a 1 million square foot “lifestyle center” to be built on the northeast corner of the intersection of Florida Avenue (Highway 74) and Warren Road in west Hemet…

2004 - Orange Blossom Festival in downtown Riverside (RXSQ)

Riverside’s 12th annual Orange Blossom Festival

This weekend, May 20-21, marks the staging of the 12th annual Orange Blossom Festival in downtown Riverside. Although the festival has acquired a few bumps and bruises recently, it remains one of the largest and most successful yearly community festivals within Inland Southern California, typically drawing crowds in excess of 250,000. The OBF began in…