Billed as the “World’s First Auto Center,” the 1965 opening of the Riverside Auto Center transformed the car-buying landscape in America, if not the world. What began in the late 1950s as a bold vision among three local car dealers – George Reade Sr. (Chevrolet), Charles W. “Bud” Dutton Sr. (Cadillac/Oldsmobile), and Julian Adrian “Red”…
Six months after being announced, the Riverside Plaza store of Nordstrom Rack is nearing its April 3rd opening date. The sibling of the high-end retailer will take up residence within a portion of the former Harris/Gottschalks/Forever 21 building, taking up a reported 45,000 sq. ft. on the ground level. The 3-story building underwent an extensive…
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…
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,…
Featured here is a 1961 postcard for Riverside. Pictured is the Carillon Tower at the Mission Inn, the Peace Tower on Mount Rubidoux overlooking downtown and the Buena Vista Bridge crossing Seventh Street (now Mission Inn Avenue). The back of the card, which was produced by Western Publishing & Novelty Company of Los Angeles, reads:…
Designed by Franklin P. Burnham of the Los Angeles architectural firm of Burnham and Bliesner, the cost of constructing the Beaux Arts styled courthouse was $160,000. Construction began on May 7, 1903 and was completed June 23, 1904. In 1995, the courthouse underwent a 3-year, $25 million renovation and seismic upgrade. The building’s ornate facade…
Established by the University of California in 1907 at the base of Mount Rubidoux as the Citrus Experiment Station, the present day campus for UC Riverside began with the building of a new Citrus Station in 1917 about 5 miles to the east (at the base of Box Springs Mountain). In 1948, planning began to…
Drivers using the 91 Freeway in Riverside of late have noticed construction barriers, closed bridges and the removal of large swaths of landscaping along six miles of the freeway from Adams Street into downtown Riverside. The changes are part of a $232 million HOV lane project that began this past Spring. Expected to be completed…
After several recent attempts, Riverside officials have now scrapped expensive plans to construct a new downtown library in favor of a more modest renovation of the existing building. We realize this new directive from the city council may not serve all interests and parties involved, and we do agree a modest renovation/refurbishment is warranted. However,…
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…
