Public notice was given recently regarding the closure and planned demolition and replacement of the 1965-era, downtown headquarters for the Riverside Police Department. Located at 4102 Orange Street, the 33,000 square-foot, two-story (plus basement) building was designed by Riverside-based architectural firm of Ruhnau, Evans, Brown & Steinmann. It contained a pistol firing range and other…
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…
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…
After nearly two years of renovation and seismic upgrades, downtown Riverside’s historic Municipal Auditorium was rededicated by city officials during an open house held earlier this month. Included in the $10 million makeover of the 1928-29 structure is better seating, lighting, acoustics and fully-renovated lower level and backstage areas. A large open area in front…
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 Central Library (a.k.a. Main Library). As such, the city has released four early conceptual drawings of the proposed exterior makeover, which the city is…
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 Central Library (a.k.a. Main 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…
After several recent attempts, Riverside officials have now scrapped expensive plans to construct a new downtown library in favor of a more modest renovation of the existing building. We realize this new directive from the city council may not serve all interests and parties involved, and we do agree a modest renovation/refurbishment is warranted. However,…
From the eclectic Mission Inn and magnificent County Courthouse to the modern City Hall and mid-century public library, downtown Riverside is rich in architectural history and variety. Fortunately, many of these gems are within walking distance down a few adjoining streets. As such, we’ve created a few short circular, self-guided tours — Mission Inn Avenue,…
