Before there was a Main Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Riverside there was, well, an actual Main Street, with actual cars — and curbside parking. Seen here in photos approximately 50 years apart is a view of Main Street looking north toward Mission Inn Avenue (formerly Seventh Street) from near University Avenue (formerly Eighth Street)….
Grading began this past week on the first phase of the mixed-use m sole’ project in downtown Riverside. When completed, m sole’ will include up to 154 residential units and 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail stretching along the west side of Market Street between Third and First streets. Phase one consists of 10 live/work…
Sunday, January 21, 2007 – If one visits downtown Riverside, as we did today, they will notice the historic Fox Theatre is now fenced off, awaiting a $30 million renovation. As one of the centerpieces of the $780 million Riverside Renaissance Initiative — which outlines 25 years worth of citywide projects in about 5 —…
This Friday marks the debut of an expanded Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside. Along with the usual carolers, carriage rides, one-of-a-kind shopping/dining and millions of holiday lights, this year’s FOL has grown to include a compact ice rink. Skating at the rink, located on the Main Street Pedestrian Mall between Mission Inn and University…
Saturday, November 18, 2006 – The weekend heading into Thanksgiving finds downtown Riverside in a state of transformation as finishing touches are being made to holiday decorations ahead of the annual Festival of Lights, which officially begins the Friday after turkey day. This year, a new addition to an expanded FOL had workers assembling a…
Now that the Orange Blossom Festival is officially kaput, officials in Riverside are eyeing an enlarged Festival of Lights as a quasi-replacement for the annual citrus celebration. Already a great success in its own right, the annual FOL draws tens of thousands of visitors from throughout Southern California during the winter holidays. The centerpiece of…
Saturday, September 16, 2006 – A few photos and thoughts while strolling the Main Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Riverside. The weather was sunny and mild as folks browsed the quaint stores or grabbed a bite to eat. Paper covers the windows of the future Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which is scheduled to open…
Just as Riverside was about to roll out its new “Smart Park” parking plan for downtown, city officials decided to make some minor, yet significant changes, most of which were the result of complaints. Gone are the multiple rates and times of enforcement — they’re now uniform at all Smart Park locations ($1/hr, 8 a.m….
This weekend marks the last time you’ll be able to see all (or nearly all) of the large “art” oranges in downtown Riverside as the very successful “The Giant Orange Artventure” is coming to an end. Last June, after many months of artistic preparation, 32 fiberglass oranges were “planted” in various locations throughout downtown. Each…
This month, the City of Riverside rolls out a new parking plan for downtown. In short, parking within most areas of the downtown core during weekday business hours now requires payment and/or validation. In essence, the city has divided up the downtown business core into 3 parking zones: 2-hour, 4-hour and city-owned parking garages. Parking…
