A Museum Metamorphosis: Progress, Surprises and a Secret Tunnel

Stroll past the Museum of Riverside's construction site and peer through the fence. Do this every day and you're likely to see something new each time because progress continues at a brisk pace on the rehabilitation and expansion of the downtown Museum site. Museum staff continue to aim for a reopening no earlier than late 2027.

BNBuilders of Irvine, California, began construction in July 2025. Fences came first, and then some observers were startled to see the pillars turn orange as a temporary protective cladding was installed on historic features that would be staying in place. Careful and selective demolition has occurred over the past few months, bringing with it the inevitable discoveries and surprises, such as previously unknown underground concrete or disused old utility lines. A few have caused minor delays, but the project is moving forward steadily. Every week—and sometimes every day—Museum staff, other City staff, and our architects (Perkins Eastman) are onsite responding to the day's discoveries and progress.

Seeing the interior spaces opened up has been a revelation to those familiar with the much-modified and maze-like interior that had caused such challenges in the past for the Museum's exhibitions developers. Even with none of the new spaces yet built out, it's possible to see the tremendous potential of the planned new galleries. The discovery in the basement of a bricked-in opening to the historic tunnel system under Mission Inn Avenue, used long ago to supply steam heat to several nearby buildings, was a great surprise. Modifications to the design of this portion of the basement are under way to make this feature viewable by the public upon reopening.

The construction stage involving demolition and underground work is the phase most likely to serve up surprises. As we approach the end of this phase, we look forward to watching the new addition rise. We held a public hard hat tour in February and expect to offer one or two more of those as construction progresses.

Alongside construction, staff continue to work hard developing the entire building's worth of reopening exhibitions. Many of them will feature treasures from the permanent collection that have rarely or never been exhibited before. A two-story exhibition case will be one place where such gems are gathered under the theme Unpacking Our Story. An exhibition about how fast food was born in and shaped the history of the Inland Empire will be accompanied by some tasty adjunct programs. The new Nature Lab, with both indoor and outdoor features, is taking shape beautifully. An exciting exhibition about how immigration and migration have shaped Riverside will bring the past into the present and offer a snapshot of the wealth of stories that give Riverside its distinctive character. In fact, the Museum is actively requesting portrait photos of Riversiders and/or their forebears who first came to Riverside for inclusion in this exhibition. Contact Robyn Peterson, rpeterson@riversideca.gov, if you have any questions about this request or already know you'd like to participate.

Stay abreast via the Museum of Riverside's social media or website or simply stroll by and see for yourself as the new begins to rise to pair with the old.

By Robyn G. Peterson