A ceremonial groundbreaking was held June 27th for the long-awaited and oft-delayed expansion for the Museum of Riverside, which has been shuttered for nearly eight years. Between 150-200 members from the community joined city leaders to mark the event in front of the museum’s historic 1912 building. Speakers included Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, Ward 1…
Where is George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.? The final resting place for the inventor of one of the world’s best-known amusement rides — the Ferris Wheel — remains a mystery nearly 130 years following his 1896 death. One of the more intriguing histories at Riverside’s Olivewood Memorial Park is the extended Ferris family of Ferris…
Since the early 2000s, Riverside has sought and encouraged more mixed-use and higher-density residential developments within the downtown core, specifically on portions of Market Street and along the Main Street pedestrian mall. Such mixed uses hearkens back to early Riverside (and America) where buildings downtown often had commercial (usually ground-floor) and residential components (upper floors)….
2024 UPDATE: After remaining dormant since June 2014 — due in part to a multi-year, out-of-state relocation — RaincrossSquare.com has been resurrected (May 2024). Initially, the site will serve as an archive for content produced from 2003-2014, with some repackaging and minor updates (plus a few corrections as noted in the respective posts). Some functions…
Billed as the “World’s First Auto Center,” the 1965 opening of the Riverside Auto Center transformed the car-buying landscape in America, if not the world. What began in the early 1950s as a bold vision among three local car dealers — George Reade Sr. (Chevrolet), Charles W. “Bud” Dutton Sr. (Cadillac/Oldsmobile), and Julian Adrian “Red”…
Following the 1956-57 opening of the Riverside Plaza mall, downtown shopping began a slow but steady decline. In response, city leaders quickly began working at remaking the city’s civic center. Discussions took place regarding additional parking, modernized storefronts, and streetscape improvements. In June 1958, Los Angeles architectural firm Welton Beckett & Associates presented a downtown…
_MG_4256-Edit (Sweatt House) by Supahrob Flickr – Raincross Square photo poolGot a great photo of downtown Riverside or the city in general? Add it to the Raincross Square photo pool. Or view what others have uploaded.
Washington Navel Orange by Jeff3629 Flickr – Raincross Square photo poolGot a great photo of downtown Riverside or the city in general? Add it to the Raincross Square photo pool. Or view what others have uploaded.
Six months after being announced, the Riverside Plaza store of Nordstrom Rack is nearing its April 3rd opening date. The sibling of the high-end retailer will take up residence within a portion of the former Harris/Gottschalks/Forever 21 building, taking up a reported 45,000 sq. ft. on the ground level. The 3-story building underwent an extensive…
After several years of planning and 1.5 years of reconstruction, the doors swung open March 1 on the extensively renovated Riverside Convention Center in downtown. Located at the northern end of the Main Street pedestrian mall at Fifth Street, the convention center began life in 1976 as Ben H. Lewis Hall at Raincross Square. It…
