Here’s an aerial view from approximately 1960 over downtown Riverside. The view is looking north from Fourteenth Street, with the intersection of Fourteenth and Market/Magnolia at bottom-left. At top-right is the then relatively new Riverside Freeway (Highway 91), with southbound off-ramp at Seventh Street (now Mission Inn Avenue) and southbound on-ramp at Ninth Street (currently…
If you haven’t already seen the new music video for “Let Em Know” by Riverside’s Alien Ant Farm, be sure to check it out as it includes several scenes filmed in downtown Riverside (intermixed with shots filmed in downtown Chicago). The song comes after a seven-year hiatus for the band and is on their new…
Kudos to the Los Angeles Times for “rediscovering” downtown Riverside and its growing arts and culture scene. From a recent article: Many people heading to Riverside make a beeline for the Mission Inn and spend the weekend at its spa, restaurants and pool. They barely venture outside, and that’s a shame because, as my husband…
One of the charms of downtown Riverside is the handful of small, one-of-a-kind shops, boutiques, bars and eateries, most of which are located on or near the Main Street pedestrian mall. Two such clothing boutiques — The Parrott and Toni Moore — were spotlighted this week by reporter Laurie Lucas of The Press-Enterprise. Owned by…
Saturday May 18th, 2013, marks the date for Old Riverside Foundation’s 22nd annual Vintage Home Tour and Restoration Fair. This year’s tour will showcase five historic homes located in three neighborhoods — the Wood Streets, Palm Heights, and downtown’s North Hill area (near Fairmount Park). The five homes on the tour are: Stephen Magee house…
The historic Serra Cross atop Mount Rubidoux in Riverside is set to remain in perpetuity following the winning bid by a local non-profit alliance. Totally Mt. Rubidoux (TMR) — an alliance comprising Friends of Mt. Rubidoux, Mission Inn Foundation and Riverside Land Conservancy — won the April 11th public auction held in front of Riverside…
As most residents of Riverside (and the region) are aware, a controversy developed late last year over the Serra Cross atop Mount Rubidoux. Last August, Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent a letter questioning the constitutionality of the cross on account it was a religious symbol on public land. (Mount Rubidoux was…
Built by Frank Augustus Miller in seven major phases between 1902 and 1931, the historic Mission Inn hotel covers an entire city block in downtown Riverside. The Inn’s four “wings” — Mission, Cloister, Spanish and Rotunda — are a collection of varying and eclectic architectural styles. The primary architects of the Inn were Arthur Benton,…
Downtown Riverside’s first modern mid-rise — the eight-story Crocker-Citizens Bank building — opened in 1965. Since then, several more office buildings have popped up, adding to the city’s modest, but growing skyline. Some of these include Mount Rubidoux Manor (@1971), Security Pacific Bank (California Tower) (1973), County Admin Building (1975/2002), City Hall (1975), Riverside Centre…
Several new additions to the downtown Riverside entertainment and shopping mix have recently opened (or are readying to open), adding to the area’s already decent collection of eateries, bars and shops. Already open — 9th Street Italian Deli (Ninth & Market), Pixels Bar (near University & Lemon), and Beyond the Olive, which is inside the…
