Drivers using the 91 Freeway in Riverside of late have noticed construction barriers, closed bridges and the removal of large swaths of landscaping along six miles of the freeway from Adams Street into downtown Riverside. The changes are part of a $232 million HOV lane project that began this past Spring. Expected to be completed…
In late June, we attended the “preview opening” for Riverside Community College District’s “Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties” museum, which is located inside the newly-restored Riverside Finance Company / Citrus Belt Savings & Loan building. Built in 1926, the building’s Spanish Baroque (Churrigueresque) facade has been painstakingly restored following an 18-month, $6 million…
Update – July 19: We’ve added an artist depiction of the new Riverside location Get ready to ring the bells and sound the sirens for “The Zoo” and the “Pig’s Trough” as the much beloved Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour is returning to Riverside! The recently relaunched chain announced plans a few days ago that it…
On the heels of March’s initial “information gathering” meetings with the public and library/civic stakeholders, Riverside began conducting followup public meetings late last week on the proposed renovation of the downtown Main Library. As such, the city has released four early conceptual drawings of the proposed exterior makeover, which the city is currently asking for…
Downtown Riverside was bustling on Saturday with three separate events held within a few blocks of each other. First, the weekly Downtown Farmer’s Market drew the usual crowd with its offerings of fresh fruit, vegetables, breads and flowers. The certified event is held every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Main Street between…
What began in late 2000 as www.orange-empire.com — a site primarily intended as a photographic journey around Inland Southern California — eventually morphed into www.raincrosssquare.com, an informal website created in mid-2006 with an emphasis on downtown Riverside and local history for the city of Riverside. The original site (orange-empire.com) was the first attempt at showcasing…
Celebrating Riverside’s citrus heritage is the theme of Old Riverside Foundation’s 21st annual Vintage Home Tour, which takes place this Saturday, May 19. The self-guided tour showcases four privately owned homes near Victoria Avenue in the city’s historic orange greenbelt as well as a downtown church with strong citrus ties. The four homes are the…
Saturday saw us at two events in Riverside. The first was at Habitat for Humanity’s Riverside ReStore where items salvaged from the historic Fox Theater were made available for purchase. The once in a lifetime event drew dozens to Habitat’s store early Saturday morning for first pick of the lot, with several pieces sold within…
Want to own a piece of Riverside history? Here’s your chance! In cooperation with Habitat for Humanity Riverside, the Old Riverside Foundation is selling recently donated items salvaged from the historic Riverside Fox Theater. The items — doors, windows and power switches — were saved during the theater’s 3-year, $32 million renovation that was completed…
Definitely one of Riverside’s best mid-century buildings — and certainly its most under-appreciated — the downtown Main Library (a.k.a. Central Library) has spent most of its time suffering from harsh criticism. In the past few years, however, there has been growing support for the library’s mid-century designs. Most of this support has tended to come…
