One of downtown Riverside’s oldest buildings dating from the late 1800s will soon disappear as a plan for an arts school for Riverside Community College District moves forward. Located at the southwest corner of Market Street and University Avenue, the building in question was originally built as a sanitarium by Dr. Clark Whittier, a wealthy…
Late 1950sTop: Carnegie Library and Riverside County CourthouseBottom: Municipal Auditorium and U.S. Post Office We thought we’d start the new year off with an old postcard showing a few of downtown Riverside’s civic buildings. Dating from the late 1950s / early 1960s, the images show the 1903 Carnegie Library, the 1903 Riverside County Courthouse, the…
The latest book documenting Riverside’s history has just hit the bookshelves. Written by fourth-generation resident of Riverside Joan H. Hall, “Riverside’s Invisible Past” is the latest in several local history books by Joan, many of which are must-haves. The 192-page book is chock full of interesting and informative histories surrounding 52 structures and sites from…
October 2010Retro ‘blade’ signs being added 1930sOriginal ‘blade’ signs The first of two old-style neon signs went up this past week on the Fox Performing Arts Center in downtown Riverside. The signs are replicas of those that adorned the theater in the 1930s and 1940s. According to The Press-Enterprise, the signs are 22 feet tall…
Oct. 2010UCR Culver Center of the Arts Architectural renderingUCR 2008Project info 1906Rouse’s / Chapman Building***(close-up view of awning) 1953Rouse’s Dept. StoreRCC yearbook This past week marked the opening of UC Riverside’s Barbara & Art Culver Center of the Arts, adding another major arts facility to downtown. Located adjacent to the existing UCR/CMP (California Museum of…
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…
Harvest House Cafeteria3535 Tyler Mall Riverside, Calif. 92503We invite you to visit other Harvest House locations throughout the United States and Canada This October will mark the 40th anniversary of the Tyler Mall in Riverside. Previously, we did an overview of how the mall came into existence and how it came to be as it’s…
Scattered around downtown Riverside one will find a few remaining commercial “add-on” oddities from the post-war years. Here are two of the more obvious ones we’ve noticed. 2010Tenth Street First up is this house located on Tenth Street. We’re not sure of the original home’s date, but city permits show an addition valued at approximately…
20101908 Seth Thomas clock Earlier this month, the 102-year-old Seth Thomas pedestal clock, which was damaged last year during the refurbishing of the pedestrian mall, made its way back to downtown Riverside. Though the clock itself dates back to 1908, it didn’t appear in Riverside until the 1920s when it was planted outside a jeweler’s…
2010Simple Simon’s Bakery & Bistro 2010Closed Simple Simon’s, one of downtown’s most popular eateries, caught fire around 2 a.m. this past Friday, causing what the owners hope will be only a temporary closure. Initial reports point to an electrical fire as the possible cause, with damage estimates of roughly $175,000. No major damage was reported…
