Riverside Municipal Auditorium
The Riverside Municipal Auditorium in Riverside opened on November 12, 1928. Frank Miller, owner of the Mission Inn, had deeded the land for the auditorium to the city in 1925 with the stipulation that the property be “maintained in perpetuity” as a Soldiers Memorial with exhibit space and meeting hall. He commissioned architect Arthur Benton, the original architect of the Mission Inn, for its design and construction. When Benton died before the auditorium was completed, he was replaced by G. Stanley Wilson, another architect influential in later additions at the Mission Inn. The structure’s architectural style combines Hispanic features – Mission, Moorish, Mexican Colonial – with additional revivalist cliches of the 1920s. A 5.4 magnitude earth quake in 2010 led to needed renovation and seismic retrofit. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Riverside, Riverside County
Photographer: John Bare