Raincross Square

Main Street pedestrian mall
Slideshow: Out & About

This past weekend saw us out and about downtown on both Friday and Saturday.

On Friday evening, downtown was relatively busy as a special screening of "Gone With the Wind" brought a sold-out audience to the newly-restored Fox Performing Arts Center. The showing included appearances from 4 of the 7 surviving cast members at a special gala held before Friday's re-screening.

While downtown, we took an impromptu tour of the Mission Inn, following it up with a bite to eat at one of the hotel's unique eateries. Later, we strolled along the Main Street pedestrian mall, which was alive with other downtown patrons.

Saturday morning found the pedestrian mall and weekly farmer's market busy with both shoppers and walkers alike. A re-opened Simple Simon's helped keep the outdoor dining area filled with folks taking advantage of the mild summer temperatures.

Nearby, we spotted the emergence of the former De Anza Chevrolet behind a recently-removed facade on Market Street (one | two). In the early 1960s, 7 new car dealers downtown -- including De Anza -- came together to build the Riverside Auto Center, which was the first auto center of its kind when it opened in 1965 alongside the 91 Freeway at Adams Street. Today, De Anza Chevrolet, one of the seven original auto center dealers, is known as Singh Chevrolet.

Slideshow: Out & About

As mentioned before, Eighth Street -- now University Avenue -- in Riverside's eastside was once the city's "motel row." In many ways, with several motels, hotels and eateries remaining, it still serves that purpose today.

One of the earliest major chain motels to pop up on the stretch between downtown and UC Riverside was the Riverside TraveLodge. Located at 1911 Eighth Street (University Avenue), city permits indicate the motel likely opened in late 1951 or early 1952. Aerial photos from 1948 confirm the hotel was not present.

@1952
Riverside TraveLodge


@1957
Riverside TraveLodge
with expansion, pool


@1965
Riverside TraveLodge
with 'Sleepy Bear' motif


2010
Budget Inn
with pool removed

To the right are 3 postcards from the 1950s and 1960s showing the TraveLodge. The back of the first postcard reads:

In 1953/54, city permits were issued for an expansion that appears to have nearly doubled the number of rooms. And in 1955, a permit was issued for a swimming pool. Aerial photos indicate both the expansion and pool were in place by 1959. The second postcard -- from the mid- to late-1950s -- which shows the added rooms and pool, reads as follows:

The last postcard, which has a 1966 postmark on the back, shows new signage and the addition of TraveLodge's "Sleepy Bear" mascot to the motel's exterior. It also appears the previously pinkish-hued motel received a lighter shade of paint but with brightly painted doors added for accent. The back of this card reads:

Today, the former TraveLodge is known as the Budget Inn. We're not sure when the TraveLodge name was removed from the motel, but seem to recall it lasting into the early 1990s. However, a 1993 chamber publication lists the hotel simply as Riverside Motel while a 1996 permit to demo the pool (1965 | 2010) was issued under the current Budget Inn nameplate.

Related

• RaincrossSquare.com - University Avenue: Riverside's "motel row" (June 2010)

Les Richter, former head of the now defunct Riverside International Raceway, passed away this weekend in Riverside. He was 79.

Les Richter
(NASCAR.com)


RIR logo


Post-1969 track configuration
(wikipedia)


1970s
Richard Petty, Bobby Allison



Winston Cup Series


1982
Winston Cup Series


@1990
RIR control tower
(AP)

Probably no one else is more responsible for putting both Riverside International Raceway on the map as well as expanding stock car racing beyond its southeastern U.S. environs in the early days of NASCAR than Richter.

From 1963 to 1984, Richter ran the famed Riverside road course, one of the most challenging stops on the NASCAR circuit. For several years, RIR hosted either the first or final race on the NASCAR schedule as well as various other major races, including the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix.

Through the years, the track proved its versatility by hosting nearly every form of racing, including CART, IMSA, INDY, F1, Can-Am, Trans-Am, SCORE and IROC (one | two; whom Richter was a co-creator). Its proximity to Los Angeles also made it a prime location for advertising, television and movies. It also served as a testing track for automotive (one | two | three | four) and motorcycle companies.

RIR, which sat on the eastern edge of Riverside, was sold to Texas-based developer Fritz Duda in 1984 with the last major race in late 1988 and the track officially closing in early 1989.

Today, the 600-plus acres of the former racetrack include homes, apartments, parks and retail uses as part of Moreno Valley's master-planned Towngate development. The largest parcel, on which both the grandstands along Highway 60 and the famed "esses" (one | two | three) were once located, has been home to Moreno Valley Mall since 1992 (view overlay image here). The track's southern end, where the sweeping Turn 9 once was, is now comprised mostly of single-family residential.

Prior to managing the raceway, Richter was a football star at both UC Berkeley and the NFL's Los Angeles Rams for nine seasons, where he was a first-team, all-pro linebacker. After RIR, Richter went on to be a NASCAR executive for nearly 10 years until the early 1990s, when he was tapped by Roger Penske to oversee the development of California Speedway (now Auto Club Speedway) in Fontana, which opened in 1997.

Richter's influence went beyond the race track, however. He was a long-time Riverside resident and was involved in several civic organizations, including the city's influential Monday Morning Group.

Photos: Riverside International Raceway

Related

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Les Richter, pro football player, auto racing exec, Riverside leader, dies


• Los Angeles Times - Les Richter dies at 79; ex-Ram guided auto racing's growth in Southern California


• Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - Richter, former L.A. Ram who was responsible for NASCAR's success in Southern California, dies at 79


• Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - Richter always got things done


• NASCAR.com - Former NASCAR official Richter dies at age 79


• Riverside Press-Enterprise - A Look Back: Shopping center was once a much racier place (June 5, 2010)


• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Rear View Memories (March 2009)


• Riverside Sports Hall of Fame - Les Richter


• SignOnSanDiego.com - Paul Newman and James Garner at RIR


• Riverside International Automotive Museum


• Legends of Riverside


• Facebook - Riverside International Raceway


• Wikipedia - Riverside International Raceway


• Ultimate Racing History - Riverside International Raceway


• YouTube - 1965 - On-board Lap of Riverside Raceway (1:45; pre-1969 "short course")


• YouTube - 1964 Motor Trend Riverside 500 (7:09 minute report)


• YouTube - 1965 Motor Trend Riverside 500 (4:58 minute report)


• YouTube - 1966 Motor Trend Riverside 500 (4:51 minute report)


• YouTube - 1987 Winston Western 500 (TBS Sports in-race report on eventual closing of RIR)


• Flickr - Riverside International Raceway


• Photos of RIR from the 1980s


• Amateur photos of RIR

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - Out & About - 10/14/2008


• RaincrossSquare.com - RIR (Dec. 2003)

1963
SCCA magazine cover
(view overlay image here)

1970
Advertisement

1988
After the last major race
(Earlier view | 2002 view | 2003 view)

1963
Riverside 500

1965
Riverside 500

1969
LA Times
Grand Prix

1970
LA Times
Grand Prix

1980
LA Times
Grand Prix

1950s
Town & Country


1960s
Sage & Sand


1960s
Caravan Inn


2010
Courtyard by Marriott

Prior to the building of the 60 Freeway through Riverside in the early 1960s, the main highway heading into downtown from the east was Eighth Street. Visitors traveling between Palm Springs and Los Angeles could grab some rest at any one of the half-dozen or so small, roadside motels scattered along a two-mile stretch between UC Riverside and downtown. As such, Eighth Street -- now University Avenue -- became the city's "motel row."

With its proximity to the city's early industrial areas, UC Riverside, March AFB and the now defunct Riverside International Raceway, the accumulation of motels, hotels and restaurants grew considerably during the 1960s and 1970s as national chains the likes of Ramada Inn and Holiday Inn began popping up. And by the 1990s, larger hotels, such as Days Inn (now Courtyard by Marriott), had sprung up as well.

However, as in many cities across the nation, when the newer and larger hotels arrived, the smaller motels began decaying, eventually leading to seedier surroundings. Likewise, the 1987 opening of downtown's 12-story Sheraton (now Marriott), the closing of Riverside International Raceway in 1989 and the 1993 reopening of downtown's historic Mission Inn dealt a tough blow to even the larger hotels. By the mid-1990s, control of the former Ramada and Holiday inns would be assumed by UC Riverside, which uses the adjacent properties for offices, classrooms and exchange student housing.

Since 2000, however, Riverside has invested millions of dollars in implementing the University Avenue specific plan that included refurbishing and/or phasing out the older, seedier motels and adding landscaping to the curb and street medians. More recently, several of the decaying motels have been demolished. A large, mixed-use apartment complex for UCR students replaced one, a retail center replaced another, while a few others have become empty lots awaiting redevelopment.

Over the ensuing months, we hope to spotlight a few of these motels and hotels and maybe even a couple of the eateries, some of which no longer exist. For now, below are a few photos from the three mid-century neon signs that remain from "motel row's" past.

2010
Farm House

2010
Skylark

2010
Thunderbird

2010
Thunderbird

2009
Thunderbird

2010
3520 Tyler Street, Riverside

1979 advertisement
Greater Riverside
Chambers of Commerce


1991
Target (on left) & Mervyn's


2010
Unhidden squiggly


2010
Kohl's incoming

This past weekend, we stumbled upon a bit of retail archeology when we noticed the false-front of a now-shuttered Mervyn's had been removed to reveal the zig-zag roofline of the building's original occupant -- The Treasury. (The removal is part of refurbishing the former Mervyn's space for an incoming Kohl's, expected to open in September 2010.)

For those who don't remember, The Treasury was the discount division of JCPenney, which acquired the small chain (also known as Treasure Island in some parts of the U.S.) from General Merchandise Co. in 1962. Many of the stores sported a zig-zag roofline above the main entrance, which became part of the chain's advertising slogan of "Under the squiggly roof."

The stores were quite large, often in excess of 150,000 sq. feet. Permits from 1971 show the Riverside location at just under 185,000 sq. ft. (plus an 11,600 sq. ft. basement). To help patrons navigate the expansive sales floor, several colored lines designating the major departments (housewares, electronics, toys, womens' clothing, etc.) fanned out on the floor from the main entrance leading shoppers toward the desired department.

The Riverside store, located at 3520 Tyler Street, opened in 1972 and closed in 1981 when JCP shut down the then money-losing discount chain. Permits indicate the Riverside location was developed by Ernest W. Hahn, who also opened the then Tyler Mall (Galleria at Tyler) across the street in 1970.

In early 1983, Minneapolis-based Dayton-Hudson purchased the former Treasury site in Riverside, partitioning the large building for use as both a Target and Mervyn's. A Press-Enterprise article from July 1983 indicates Mervyn's spent $7.7 million over 4 months to refurbish its portion of the building (approximately 79,000 sq. ft.). (Interesting to note, the article also states Mervyn's had been looking for a site in the city since 1975 -- prior to the chain's 1978 acquisition by Dayton-Hudson -- but was unable to find a suitable location.)

Around 1992, Target enlarged their portion of the building slightly by expanding outward along the store's Diana Avenue (freeway side) frontage.

In mid 2008, Mervyn's -- now no longer part of Target Corp. (formerly Dayton-Hudson) -- filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, eventually leading to the shuttering of the chain by early 2009. The Riverside location remained vacant until the recent renovation by Kohl's.

Related

• TV commercial for The Treasury

2008
Mervyn's
signage

2008
Concealed zig-zags

2008
Tyler street facade

2010
Post
Mervyn's

2010
Zig-zags revealed

2010
Tyler street facade

Harvest House Cafeteria
3535 Tyler Mall
Riverside, Calif. 92503
We 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 known today -- Galleria at Tyler. In the coming months, we'll add a few more posts about various aspects of the mall. For now, we begin with one of the few postcards we can find associated with the mall itself -- Harvest House cafeteria.

The Tyler Mall Harvest House opened with the mall in October 1970. It was situated on the mall's southeastern side halfway between anchors JCPenney and May Co. (though May Co. would not open until 1973). Immediately adjacent to Harvest House was a 61,000 sq. ft., 2-story Woolworth's (today, the former Woolworth's basement serves as a Tuesday Morning outlet).

1970
Grand Opening


1970
Harvest House

According to a Press-Enterprise article on the mall's grand opening, the general manager of the new Woolworth's was Larry G. Shappart while the manager for Harvest House was Francis A. Costanzo.

One variation of Harvest House's "Colonial" theme (as seen in the postcard above) gave the cafeteria style restaurant a down-home "Americana" feel. But the wood brown paneling with red carpet and green-hued walls also made it feel dated and dreary (at least to us kids). And when the dining room was near empty, as it often seemed at the Tyler Mall location, it felt more like a mausoleum than a restaurant. Only the occasional kitchen noise and faint sounds of shopping activity drifting in through the entrance from Woolworth's would break the eerie silence.

Moreover, one of the strangest aspects of Harvest House was the indoor mall entrance itself, which consisted of an elaborate blue, mansard-style facade with a large cornucopia underneath as part of the "Harvest House" signage. (As a kid, nothing says mystery food better than a strange looking cornucopia. There was also a larger, much creepier version adorning a dining room wall.)

Once past the semi-formal entryway, patrons encountered a long narrow hallway -- separated from the dining area -- leading back to the cafeteria service. (Again, as a kid, this is where the trepidation, wondering what kind of awful food is actually served here, would begin -- assuming you hadn't already begged your parents to go to McDonald's instead).

By 1976, there were 50 Harvest House cafeterias in existence, with even more lunch counters/cafes still in operation inside many Woolworth's (including, at one time, a small cafe attached to the Tyler Mall store). Surprisingly, Harvest House lasted well into the 1980s, with the last one closing in the mid-1990s (we seem to recall the Tyler Mall HH had closed by 1990). Woolworth's itself would succumb in 1997, though the parent company lives on in the form of its most successful division -- Foot Locker.

Photo Gallery: Galleria at Tyler

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - Then & Now - Galleria at Tyler (August 2007)


• RaincrossSquare.com - Then & Now - Galleria at Tyler: Part Two (August 2007)

Metro Museum 001 by Van K. Varbel

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.

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.

2010
Tenth 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 $5,000 was built around 1947. Though the permits do not indicate what it was used for, they do indicate the expansion was permitted as a "business" addition.

It's readily apparent the 1947 addition did not make any real attempt to complement the Cape-Cod style motif of the original structure, but a recent makeover does help it blend in better.

__________

2010
Main Street

Next up is this house located at the south end of Main Street. City permits show minor alterations taking place on portions of the house in 1947 for use as a "cafe." Later, in 1955/56, a permit was issued for a front addition valued at approximately $11,000. The permit indicates "store" as the intended use for the expansion (though we presume it could have easily been an expansion for the cafe as well).

Although the addition's roof line offers subtle reference to the home's traditional architecture, the flagstone and basic cinder block construction adds a bit of mid-century flair (unintended as it may have been at the time).

__________

Today, design codes are simply too strict to allow such non-conforming additions. And as much as they tend to ruin the architectural motif of the original structure, there's no doubt seeing these "grand-fathered" oddities does add a bit of interest and character to what might otherwise be a monotonous streetscape. It's also one aspect that make parts of Southern California's older established cities -- such as Riverside, Redlands, Fullerton and Pasadena -- a bit more unique than newer master-planned cities and neighborhoods.

2010
1908 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 store on Main Street.

The clock's current location near the corner of Main Street and Mission Inn Avenue (near Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf), sits across the mall and about a half-block north from its previous spot near the former Westbrook's/Imperial Hardware building.

We're not certain when the clock was placed in front of Westbrook's. Some say it was moved there from its original spot elsewhere on Main Street. But a postcard from the 1940s indicates it had been in front of Westbrook's for several decades before being damaged last year by a contractor -- who paid for the repair -- and eventually moving to its current location near Mission Inn Avenue.

Interestingly, based upon old photos, it appears the clock had also been moved several feet toward University Avenue and placed a bit closer to the center of the pedestrian mall at some point while located near Westbrook's.

Related

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - 102-year-old clock returns to Riverside mall (Feb. 13, 2010)

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - Second phase of pedestrian mall makeover begins (Jan. 2009)

1940s
Near Westbrook's
(second clock in distance)
(view full postcard)

1953
Near Westbrook's (prior to mall)
RCC yearbook
(view close-up)

1967
On the Mall
North High School
yearbook

2009
Former mall location

2010
Current spot

2010
Refurbished

2007
Slight differences

2010
Simple Simon's Bakery & Bistro


2010
Closed

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 in adjacent stores and cleanup has already started on the restaurant.

Known for their gourmet deli sandwiches made with freshly-baked bread, the often crowded eatery and bakery opened on the Main Street pedestrian mall in 1996. It quickly became a favorite among the lunch time crowds, with patrons filling the outdoor tables located on the pedestrian mall between the restaurant and the Mission Inn.

Photos from the 1940s show "1905 Backstrand" stamped atop the building, indicating the building dates back at least 100 years.

According to a 1963 city permit issued for an aluminum facade, the building was still owned by the Backstrand family. It's likely the 1963 facade is the same mid-century style metal screen that adorns the building today.

Related

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Fire damages Riverside's Simple Simon's restaurant (Feb. 13, 2009)


• InstantRiverside.com - Simple Simon's restaurant damaged in fire (Feb. 12, 2009)

San Bernardino peak, one of the highest points in Southern California, as seen from an orange grove in east Highland
Slideshow: Out & About

Sunday was a postcard perfect day in Inland Southern California as a week-long sky full of heavy rain and dark clouds gave way to bright sunshine and snow-capped mountains.

The picturesque views evoked colorful scenes from the days when the navel orange industry -- and imagery made popular by Sunkist marketing -- dominated the region's landscape.

Slideshow: Out & About

Redlands

Riverside

2010
Main lobby


2010
Balcony


Flash: Fox: May 2007 - Jan. 2010

Crowds flocked to the new Fox Performing Arts Center in downtown Riverside this past weekend to catch an inside look at the newly-renovated facility following a 3-year, $32 million renovation.

Friday night was the grand opening, fund-raising gala while Saturday and Sunday were open house days. Judging by the looks on the faces of those who attended, no one walked away disappointed. This coming weekend will be the center's first official event -- two nights of Sheryl Crow.

Make no mistake, this was an extensive -- and expensive -- top-to-bottom, inside-and-out renovation. No detail was left undone. And as a result, the Fox is now a first-class music and Broadway-caliber venue. And one that Riverside -- and Inland Southern California as a whole -- can indeed be proud of.

Will the Fox make money? Most likely not. Will the Fox require subsidies? Most likely so. But that's not the point. Libraries, museums and parks also are not self-sustaining facilities. Neither are most convention centers and sports venues. However, cities don't build cultural facilities to directly make money, but instead, to enrich the lives of their citizens.

So get out there and enjoy the new Fox.

Flash: Fox: May 2007 - Jan. 2010

Update: A recent entry on the LA Times "Culture Monster" blog digs into some of the renovation's details: A Riverside movie palace is reborn (Jan. 26)

Related

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Riverside's Fox theater gets a glorious grand opening (Jan. 16) | Tours offer peek inside renovated Fox theater in Riverside (Jan. 17)


• InstantRiverside.com - Riverside's Fox Performing Arts Center opens; renovation finished (Jan. 16) | Go inside Riverside's Fox Performing Arts Center; the Fox is new again (Jan. 17)


• Fox Performing Arts Center | Broadway in Riverside

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - Open house at the Fox (May 2007) | Fox Theater restoration moving along (June 2009) | Riverside's Fox Theater restoration in pictures (Nov. 2009) | Get into the Fox (Jan. 2010)

2010
Box office

2010
Main lobby

2010
Balcony

2010
Back stage

2010
Lobby

2010
Theater

2010
Upper lobby

2010
Ceiling