Riverside Historic Sites & Interpretive Centres

Fox Theater is a city landmark in Riverside, CA. Built in 1928 and opened in 1929, the theater is in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. It was used as a cinema/vaudeville house and attracted famous performers such as Judy Garland and Bing Crosby. The theater also previewed motion pictures. The first public screening of "Gone with the Wind" was held here in 1939.

Riverside County Courthouse is a historic landmark in Riverside, CA. It was designed by Franklin P. Burnam in the Beaux Arts classical style. The facade duplicates the 1900 Paris Exposition's Grand Palace of Fine Arts.

Heritage House is a historic 1891 Victorian house currently owned by the Riverside Metropolitan Museum. The house depicts life in turn-of-the century Riverside. Visiting hours are in September (first weekend after Labor Day) to June.

Mission Inn is a historic landmark in Riverside that was built in 1890 in the Mission-Revival style. Its original use was as a hotel and continues to be so today. Public tours are available.

Victoria Avenue is a historic street in Riverside, CA. Dating back to 1892, the 7 mi divided avenue, from Myrtle Street to the city limits, was planned by Matthew Gage. The avenue is lined with palms, eucalyptus and oldfashioned rose bushes. The avenue is also bordered by orange groves and also features bicycle paths running along the side.

First Congregational Church of Riverside is a historic landmark built in 1912. The church is designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style by Myron Hunt. The brick building also features a concrete tower designed by Henry Jekel. The first services were held on December 24, 1913. Sunday worship services are still offered here at 10am.

Benedict Castle is a historic building that took nine years to build starting around 1922. It is a Medieval-Spanish structure with strong Moorish influences and was designed by Henry L. A. Jekel for Charles W. Benedict. The castle is built of steel-reinforced concrete and thirty-pound adobe bricks baked on the premises in kilns. The castle sits on a hill overlooking Riverside. Some of the building structural amenities include wood-framed stained-glass windows, iron grill work, heavy wooden doors with hand-forged iron latches and hinges, and more. The castle is currently being used as a venue to host special events such as weddings.

Planted at the corner of Magnolia and Arlington in Riverside, the Parent Navel Orange Tree is one of the two original trees from which California's Washington navel orange industry descended.

A historic landmark in Riverside, the Municipal Auditorium is a 1920s Moorish-Mission revival style building. Features of the building include a sunken garden and a cloistered walk. The auditorium seats 1776 people.