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Places, Earth
Mission Inn
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Mission Inn
All photographs taken by Kenneth A. Larson. All rights reserved. © 2003 - 2012.
The Mission Inn opened in 1876. Built by Frank A. Miller (1857-1935) as a mission style hotel, what began as a 12 room adobe guest house grew into a grand hotel, which now covers an entire city block. Christopher Columbus Miller, a civil engineer, was deeded land as payment for services rendered to the City of Riverside. Christopher built a two-story, 12-room boarding house which he named the Glenwood in 1876. The Glenwood was also the family home. Christopher worked as a surveyer and designed irrigation canals whiole his wife Mary and daughter Emma managed the Glenwood.
Frank, the Miler's eldest son, persued varios business ventures, finally deciding to purchase the Glenwood and surrounding land in 1880 form his father for $5,000.00. Frank made several attempts dusing the 1890s to secure financing to build a new grand hotel to cater to the large number of turinst coming to Riverside for economic opertunites or the warm climate. Finally in 1902, Frank had a design by Arthur B. Benton and financing from Henry E. Huntington. He built a four story U-shaped hotel enclosing a lage central court where the original Glenwood had been. Three more wings were added over the next thirty years, including the 1910 Cloister Wing which added more guest room and large Music Room, shops, and the Saint Cecilia Chapel. The Cloister Walk, also known as th Catacombs was once a puplic space, but now open only to guests. All of these constructions were in teh Mission style using Mission San Gabriel and Mission Carmel as insperation. The Spanish Wing was added in 1913 - 1914, designed by Myron Hunt. The Spanish Wing emphasized public space. In 1920, two floors of guest rooms were added to the Spanish Wing, including "Author's Row" and Frank's own private suite. The final major addition was the International Rotunda Wing, completed in 1931 in the northwest corner, it filled in the last corner of the block. This last wing was primarily public space with only ten guest room. Designed by local architect G. Stanley Wilson, the Rotunda featured an open five-storystaircase connecitng the shops and offices arrayed around the rotunda. The Rotunda Wing also included another art gallery, the Famous Fliers Wall (a tribute to pioneers in aviation), Saint Francis Chaple (added to accomodate an Eighteeenth Century altar from Mexico), and the Court of the Orient. This last wing was added late in Frank Miller's life.
After the death of Frank Miller in 1935, the Mission Inn began a slow decline, due in part to the depression, a shift of turinst to the Palm Springs area, and the automobile. Frank's daughter, Allis, and son-in-law, DeWitt, ran the Inn for twenty years until their deaths in 1952 and 1953, respectively. The heirs sold the Inn in 1956 and the Inn passed through a number of ownerships over the next twenty years as the asthetics were compromised.
In 1976, the Riverside Redevelopment Agency purchased the Inn and the Mission Inn Foundation was formed to manage daily operations. Restoration was almost complete in 1988 when two weeks before the scheduled opening, the owner/developer Carley Capital files for bankruptcy. The next four years saw several attempts to sell the Inn, until finally in late 1992, long time Riverside resident Duane R. Roberts formed the Historic Mission Inn Corporation which purchased the Inn. Seven and a half years after the Inn closed, it reopened on December 30, 1992.
The Inn was a stop for many famous people, including nealry a dozen US Presidents. President Theodore Roosevelt visited in 1903, Richard Nixon was married at the Inn and Ronald Regan hollymooned at the Inn. Celebrities like Madame Modjeska and writers such as Charles Fletcher Lummis, and royalty from Sweden, Russia, and Japan.
The Mission Inn is California Registered Historical Landmark number 761.
Addresses:
Mission Inn
3649 Mission Inn Avenue
Riverside, California 92501
909-784-0300
The Mission Inn Foundation/Museum
3696 Main Street
Riverside, CA 92501
909-781-8241
Museum 909-788-9556
Mission Inn Avenue entrance. Photo date: 11-13-04.
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Mission Inn Avenue entrance. Photo date: 11-13-04.
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Decorating for the Holidays. Photo date: 11-13-04.
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East side. Photo date: 11-13-04.
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see also written notes from tour.
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contents here
This page last updated: Thursday, 07-Feb-2008 22:09:43 EST
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Note: This is not the official site for any of the places shown in Places Earth. Places Earth is not responsible for accuracy of the information. Hours of operations, prices, exhibits, and sometimes locations are subject to change without notice.
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This web site started because of my love for Architecture and interest in History. This web site is for your benefit and I make no profit on it. I don't allow paid advertising. This site is supported primarily from my regular paycheck as a Set Designer and there haven' been many this year. I sell art at www.klimages.com. A non-tax deductable donation to help cover the cost of operating this web site may be made to Kesign Design Consulting through PayPal ...
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This site maintained by Kenneth A. Larson.
Copyright © 2004 - 2012, Kenneth A. Larson. All Rights Reserved.
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This site is a non-commercial alternative to my commercial design portfolio site. This site's only purpose is for your enjoyment. There is no advertising and I make no profit. If you are in the need of a designer, please check my commercial site www.kesigndesign.com.
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