civic structures

3633 Market Street – De Anza Chevrolet

20103633 Market Street 20093633 Market Street Forthcoming parking garage While driving down Market Street last month, we stumbled upon a bit of local history. Standing alongside downtown’s Fox Performing Arts Center was an uncovered facade revealing what once was the former home of long-time Riverside car dealer De Anza Chevrolet (one | two). City permits…

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Inside the Fox Performing Arts Center

2010Main lobby 2010Balcony Flash: Fox: May 2007 – Jan. 2010 Crowds flocked to the new Fox Performing Arts Center in downtown Riverside this past weekend to catch an inside look at the newly-renovated facility following a 3-year, $32 million renovation. Friday night was the grand opening, fund-raising gala while Saturday and Sunday were open house…

Get into the Fox

After nearly 3 years of renovation — and several years of planning — downtown Riverside’s Fox Theater is ready to make its debut as the Fox Performing Arts Center. 2010Fox Performing Arts Center 1930sFox Riverside Located at the intersection of Mission Inn Avenue and Market Street, the 1,642-seat Fox Center is the crown jewel of…

Riverside’s Fox Theater restoration in pictures

Long-time Riverside photographer, Michael J. Elderman, has spent nearly 3 years photographing the restoration of downtown Riverside’s Fox Theater as it transforms into the 1,600 seat Fox Performing Arts Center. Riverside’s Fox Theater:An Intimate PortraitMichael J. Elderman Hired by the restoration’s project manager to visually capture the massive renovation of the Fox, Elderman soon realized…

Fox Theater restoration moving along

With an expected completion date later this year, work continues on the $30 million restoration of the historic Fox Theater in downtown Riverside. Feb. 2009Fox Theater Oct. 2008Renaissance The renovation of the soon-to-be, 1,600-seat Fox Performing Arts Center includes a complete overhaul of the 1929 theater — everything from new ventilation systems, theater seats and…

Second phase of pedestrian mall makeover begins

Work began recently on the final phase of the Main Street Pedestrian Mall renovation in downtown Riverside, continuing the first complete refurbishment of the outdoor mall since its 1966* opening. 2009Phase twoUniversity block 2009Phase twoMission Inn block The first phase, which wrapped up in the fall, revamped the two blocks (one | two) located between…

Riverside Roundup – 02/08/2009

Interchange project put to bed 200960/91/215 interchange After nearly 5 years of construction — and 20-year wait for local commuters — Caltrans says it has finally closed the books on the 60/91/215 interchange/freeway project in downtown Riverside. The final tally for the rebuild comes in at $437 million, approximately 40 percent over initial estimates and…

Historic designation given to Central Fire Station

Last month, California’s State Historical Resources Commission added Riverside’s downtown Central Fire Station to the state’s Register of Historic Resources. Currently entering its sixth decade of operation, the building has come under threat recently as the city prepares to build a new fire station on the block directly behind the current location. And though the…

Library/museum expansion guidelines approved

Last Tuesday, the Riverside City Council approved in concept the recommendations for the future expansions of downtown’s Main Library and Riverside Metropolitan Museum as outlined by a community task force. The recommendations, which have also been endorsed by the governing boards of both institutions, call for the library to double in size to 120,000 square…

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Then & Now – Downtown Post Office

Over the past 96 years, downtown Riverside has seen 2 main post offices built, the first in 1912 and the second in 1939. First came the 1912 Federal Building/Post Office located on Seventh Street (Mission Inn Avenue). Sporting Italian-Renaissance architecture, the building served as the city’s main post office for nearly 30 years. Afterward, the…