A bronze landmark plaque on the Lerner Building (1927) at Orange and 10th streets downtown. City Council recently approved $35,000 to fund similar plaques for newly designated historic properties after budget cuts halted the program in 2018.
The Riverside City Council unanimously approved a comprehensive update to the city's Historic District Sign Program Tuesday night, allocating $135,000 from the Historic Preservation Trust Fund to enhance visibility of the city's 13 historic districts.
The plan dedicates $75,000 for new historic district signs at intersections, $35,000 for landmark plaques, and approximately $25,000 for a future historic district survey.
"Residents didn't know they were in a historic district because there's just one sign at the entrance and one at the termination," said Councilmember Philip Falcone, who championed the update.
In a follow-up interview with The Raincross Gazette, Falcone confirmed that Heritage Square will be the first district to receive the new signage, with the order of additional districts to be determined afterward.
A rendering of a historic district sign in Heritage Square. The new program will place similar signs atop intersection markers throughout each district, rather than only at district boundaries. (Courtesy City of Riverside)
Scott Watson, historic preservation officer, told the council the current sign program was adopted in 1997, but over time, signs have gone missing or deteriorated.
The plan allocates $35,000 for city landmark plaques, covering 18 backlogged plaques plus approximately 10 years of future plaques.
The final $25,000 is earmarked for a future historic district survey to support designating one of approximately 10 potential historic districts already identified in the city.
"Mid-century modern is all the rage now," said Falcone, noting that Ward 3 has wonderful examples of this architecture. In a follow-up interview, he identified the Victoria Club area and Grand Avenue Bluffs as potential candidates for the city's first mid-century modern historic district.
Falcone explained that these areas are prioritized because they have already completed some of the documentation required for historic designation. "This is because these areas have already had some of the elements completed that are required to become a district and that will save us money since we only have $25,000 to put towards this effort," he said.
Councilmember Steven Robillard expressed enthusiasm for creating more historic districts in Ward 3.
"Beatty Street and Merrill Street, which is the Palm Heights Historic District, takes a lot of pride in being a historic district. They put flags on their light poles, they do bats during Halloween ... it's really cool to see that community oneness," said Robillard.
With this allocation, the fund will be fully spent, and the Historic Preservation Fund Committee will be disbanded.
A civil rights advocate and community pillar, Harada opened her home to displaced families after WWII and helped preserve the landmark that now tells her family’s story.
A $6.6 million street maintenance contract, potential updates to the City's historic district signage program, and revising crossing guard cost-sharing arrangements with school districts are on this week's agendas.
A collector’s postcards reveal the slow, deliberate development of Seventh Street—now Mission Inn Avenue—from 1906 to 1914, tracing the stories behind the Densmore, Logan, and Lewis homes at the mountain’s base.
