‘Coming Soon’ signage is up, proclaiming that Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar will be opening later this year in downtown Riverside, joining the growing and varied downtown dining and cocktails scene. To be located along Mission Inn Avenue at the intersection with Market Street — just across from the Fox Performing Arts Center —…
After 33 years under the stewardship of co-owners Duane and Kelly Roberts, the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in downtown Riverside has been sold. The sale ends months of speculation regarding a potential sale that surfaced shortly after the passing of Duane in early November of 2025. Financial terms of the transaction to the…
This year, 2025, marks the 33rd year for the annual Festival of Lights surrounding the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside. It also marks the first Festival following the death of Mission Inn owner, Duane R Roberts, who passed away on November 1. The Festival, which began as a modest hotel-only event in 1993 with only…
When gazing upon the skyline of downtown Riverside from atop Mount Rubidoux, two office buildings tend to stand out: Riverside County Administrative Center (the “glass box” and city’s tallest building) and Riverside City Hall (seven-story, chocolate brown building with low-slung arches). Both buildings were designed by the Riverside-based architectural firm founded by Herman Otto Ruhnau….
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…
