Over the past 96 years, downtown Riverside has seen 2 main post offices built, the first in 1912 and the second in 1939. First came the 1912 Federal Building/Post Office located on Seventh Street (Mission Inn Avenue). Sporting Italian-Renaissance architecture, the building served as the city’s main post office for nearly 30 years. Afterward, the…
Arguably Riverside’s most interesting park, Fairmount Park is staging a comeback. After several years of neglect, the city recently completed various park improvements, including new gazebos, picnic tables and playgrounds as well as refurbishing of the boathouse, itself a 1995 replica of the original 1911 boathouse. One of the most expensive improvements was the dredging…
Situated approximately 1 mile west of downtown Riverside is Mount Rubidoux, a small but impressive hill overlooking the city. Rising 1,364 feet above sea level, the rocky hill gets its name from Jurupa Rancho owner Louis Robidoux (note the different spelling) who settled in the area during the mid-1800s. In 1906, Mount Rubidoux was acquired…
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Riverside National Cemetery, one of the nation’s largest national cemeteries. It is also one of the busiest. Located along I-215 just west of March Air Reserve Base in southeastern Riverside, the 921-acre cemetery is the final resting place for nearly 180,000 veterans, former service members and their spouses…
We’re not certain of the exact year, but this postcard appears to be sometime during the 1950s. Based upon “Int’l Airport” being used for notating Ontario Airport, it’s likely post-1946 — the year Ontario Municipal Airport was re-named Ontario International Airport. Likewise, the lack of Lake Perris means it’s pre-1974. Note also the current-day routes…
This weekend, the skies over Inland Southern California will reverberate with the thundering sounds of the USAF Thunderbirds as the team performs during “AirFest 2008” at March Air Reserve Base. The base, celebrating its 90th year, will once again open up the gates to the public during its annual open house/air show. The event, which…
Last week saw the beginning of the multi-phase renovation of the Main Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Riverside. The nearly $10 million dollar project, which is currently underway on two blocks between Tenth Street and University Avenue, is the first overall makeover in the 42-year history of the pedestrian mall. Completion of the 4-block project…
There’s been some chatter recently of moving Riverside’s “Central Library” from its current downtown site on Mission Inn Avenue to a location east of the 91 Freeway. We feel this would be a big mistake. The notion began with a seemingly innocuous letter to the editor that appeared in the June 19th edition of The…
One of the things we find fascinating are how places and/or buildings change — or don’t change — over time. Sometimes it’s a simple paint job on an old house or building while at other times an entire building — or entire block — is completely redeveloped. Sometimes the transformation takes several years, while in…
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)….
