What does one find upon entering a building that’s been out of public use for much of the past 40 years? A few weeks back, we were lucky enough to find out as we ventured along with fellow Old Riverside Foundation members into the long-shuttered Franzen’s/Westbrook’s/Imperial hardware building located on the pedestrian mall at 3750…
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…
Festive decorations at every corner during downtown Riverside’s yearly ‘Festival of Lights’ Slideshow: Out & About On Saturday evening, we spent a couple hours browsing and shopping during the annual ‘Festival of Lights’ in downtown Riverside, snapping a few photos — and finding a few nice surprises along the way. First, it was great to…
Crews work on the new crossing at Mission Inn Avenue as part of the pedestrian mall makeover in downtown Riverside Slideshow: Out & About This week found us taking a stroll along downtown’s Main Street pedestrian mall during a workday lunch, where we encountered others also taking in the fall-like weather. Further up, we noticed…
At right is a postcard view of Main Street in downtown Riverside looking south toward Tenth from Ninth. The view is from 1963/64, prior to the construction of the Main Street pedestrian mall*, which opened in 1966 and stretches north from Tenth to Sixth. At left is Gordon’s (here’s a different view*). According to its…
Prior to its 1992 merger with then San Francisco-based Bank of America, Los Angeles-based Security Pacific National Bank had become one of the nation’s largest banking institutions. It also had several branches — and deep roots — in and around Riverside. In April 1973, Security Pacific National Bank (SPNB) opened an 11-story branch/office tower in…
City Hall by Josh LeClair Flickr – Raincross Square photo pool Got a great photo of downtown Riverside or the city in general? Add it to the Raincross Square photo pool. Or view what others have uploaded.
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…
Flash: Out & About slideshow 2008Incorporating the old RIR logo 2008March Field Air Museum 2008An original WWI-era planetraced back to March Field This past weekend saw us check the status on a few ongoing projects in downtown Riverside, including Regency Tower and Main Street Pedestrian Mall as both projects continue moving along. We also managed…
Sept. 2008Renovation details Sept. 2008Fountain improvementsoutside City Hall Sept. 2008View north towardUniversity Avenue from Ninth Street Work continues to move along on the $10 million renovation of the Main Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Riverside. The project is the first major rehab of the mall, which opened in 1966* spanning the former “Main Street” between…
