May 2006 Archives

One of the things that most facinates us 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. Such is the natural evolution of cities.

Main Street at Ninth Street
looking north toward
University Ave. (Eighth St.)
Flash: View photo overlay

With that said, one of our favorite sections of this site is the "Then & Now" feature. A simple exercise in comparing and constrasting the same building, street or block from one time period to another. Maybe it's a 100-year-old photo or 50-year-old postcard, or simply a few years of passage. Whatever the timespan, it's interesting to see how much -- or how little -- things have changed from one era to another.

First up, is a view looking north on Main Street at Ninth Street from 1949. Immediately on the right is Rouse's Department Store (green canopy) followed by the Kress Building (partially covered by palm tree). Standing tall is the 1911 First National Bank building. Beyond these is the now-gone Evans Building (red brick) and in the distance are two towers of the Mission Inn. Visible on the left is the top of the still-standing Loring Building (red, triangular-shaped roof) located at the corner of Seventh Street (Mission Inn Avenue) and Main Street.

The exact same view from 2006 shows that, first and foremost, Main Street has been removed, or rather, turned into the Main Street Pedestrian Mall (1966). Although the Rouse (UCR/Culver Arts Center), Kress (UCR/CMP) and First National Bank buildings remain standing on the right, all the buildings on the left have since been replaced by office buildings (partially hidden). Of course, foilage now also blocks the view of the two Mission Inn towers. However, peeking out between the trees on the lower left is the triangular-shaped roof of the Loring Building.

Lastly, directly behind the camera sits City Hall (1975), which was built to anchor the south end of the pedestrian mall.

Flash: Main at Ninth: 1949 - 2006

2006
Similar view (within
shadow of City Hall)

2006
First National Bank
and Kress
(UCR/CMP)

2006
Rouse Department
Store (UCR/Culver
Arts Center)

After years of consideration, UC Riverside unveiled plans earlier this week for what could become the sixth UC medical school in California -- and the first since 1967 (UC Irvine).

The proposal, which now goes before the UC Regents later this year for approval, is envisioned as a major step in closing the gap in both the lack of adequate medical educational facilities statewide as well as the shortage of physicians in one of the nation's fastest-growing regions:

2001
UCR's Carillon Bell Tower

Currently, UCR teams up with UCLA's medical school in offering degrees via a cooperative agreement between the two campuses. The new UCR medical school is designed to build upon -- and eventually wean from -- that joint partnership, with the first class of graduates planned for 2016.

The road to approval will by no means be easy, and even faces competition from a similar proposal expected this year from fledgling UC Merced. And although the demand and need for a UC medical school within Inland Southern California is clearly apparent, UCR officials will need strong commitment -- politically and financially -- from the region's communities to ensure the proposal's approval and ultimate success.

Moreover, the establishment of a medical school would go a long way in strengthening the area's fast-rising economy, not too mention would be a nice feather in the cap for a region often overlooked in such state matters. But let there be no mistake, a medical school at UCR would be as beneficial to California as a whole as it would for the Inland region. And thus, the UC Regents and politicians in Sacramento would be wise to approve the establishment of such in the state's second most-populous metropolitan region.

Related

• UCR Web site
• Los Angeles Times - UC Riverside Seeks OK for a Medical School