The Museum of Riverside is under way! The long-awaited work to rehabilitate, expand and reopen the downtown site is finally beginning. But not all readers may know just how long-awaited this project has been. Many will remember the site closing in September 2017, but that was only the start of the most recent chapter in a long list of efforts to address the needs of a historic building that was never intended to function as a museum.
In fact, museum records document eight prior attempts to tackle the site's challenges, the earliest dating back to the 1980s.
It’s well known that the building was originally a U.S. Post Office—perhaps less well known is that it also once housed the Police Department and various other city functions. In the mid-1960s, the museum became the sole occupant. In 2018, museum staff began designing the project that is now entering the construction phase. While planning was delayed by the pandemic and other city priorities, it eventually gained the traction it needed.
The project has been thoughtfully developed to preserve the original 1912 core of the historic structure while adding a complementary expansion that—for the first time in the museum’s history—will include spaces purpose-built to meet museum standards. Old and new will coexist in a respectful balance, following historic preservation guidelines that discourage imitating past styles. The updated galleries will offer flexible layouts for rotating exhibitions, and the new spaces will meet current environmental and security requirements for museums.
Behind-the-scenes support areas will be more efficient and better equipped, expanding the kinds of exhibitions and programming the museum can offer Riverside. A new and enlarged Nature Lab will feature both indoor and outdoor learning spaces. A roof terrace, accessible during all open hours, will enhance the visitor experience.
Riversiders can look forward to a mix of original exhibitions conceived by museum staff—such as all inaugural exhibitions—and traveling exhibitions developed by partner institutions. In-house exhibitions have always involved collaboration with collectors, advisors, educators, lenders and other stakeholders. That process will continue, along with coordinated programming during exhibition runs. Assuming resources are available, staff hope to unveil new exhibitions every three to four months across multiple gallery spaces.
BNBuilders of Irvine, California, is ready to begin construction on the plans designed by Pfeiffer Partners, a division of Perkins Eastman Architects. Once on-site work begins, the anticipated construction timeline is two years. After that, a short installation period will follow before the museum opens to the public. Staff are aiming for a grand reopening in mid-2027.
Opportunities to view construction progress will be offered both on-site and via a new museum website, which staff look forward to announcing soon.
