Lime Street Bridge transformation represents largest single investment by Altura Credit Union in city beautification project featuring local artists Juan Navarro and Patrick Barwinski.
Riverside unveils first roadway-spanning mural as gateway to Arts and Culture District
Lime Street Bridge transformation represents largest single investment by Altura Credit Union in city beautification project featuring local artists Juan Navarro and Patrick Barwinski.
The newly completed Lime Street Bridge mural declares the entrance to the Arts & Culture District. The Riverside County Administration Center stands in the background. (Michael J. Elderman)
The city celebrated the completion of its first mural to span a roadway Sept. 30, transforming the Lime Street Bridge into a colorful gateway to the Arts and Culture District.
The mural project, which began in July, represents the largest single investment ever made by Altura Credit Union in city beautification efforts. The artwork covers the bridge that connects the county administrative center to county employee parking and serves as the main entrance to the arts district, which stretches from Market to Lime Street and from 10th Street down to 3rd Street. The bridge is visible from both street level and the nearby freeway, with tens of thousands of people passing under or viewing it daily.
"Today we don't just gather under a bridge. We're gathered under a vision now fully realized in paint, color, and imagination," said Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson during the unveiling ceremony. "The Lime Street Bridge is a landmark in motion as it's become the very first mural in our city to span a roadway."
Councilmember Philip Falcone, who represents Ward 1, emphasized the significance of finally branding the area as an arts district.
"Doesn't mean anything to just have it be in a document on a plan on a shelf in City Hall. We have to really embrace it," Falcone said. "And part of that is branding this location as that."
The bridge had remained largely unadorned since its construction in the late 1970s.
Jennifer Binkley, CEO of Altura Credit Union, explained that the project began with a conversation during a Good Morning Riverside event, a monthly meeting of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce.
"When I first drove by and it was almost complete, I almost started crying. Juan and Patrick, it is amazing. It's one of the most amazing murals I've ever seen," Binkley said during the ceremony.
The project required extensive coordination between city and county departments due to the bridge's location on a busy downtown thoroughfare. Public works departments from both jurisdictions collaborated to ensure the artists could work safely while maintaining traffic flow.
For artist Juan Navarro, a Riverside native, the project represents a full-circle moment coming immediately after completing his artist in residency grant. He recalled his first memory of seeing a mural in the city as a kindergarten student lining up against the wall at Bryant Elementary's library, which featured artwork.
"Now we're doing stuff like this, so to me, it's a full circle moment. This is my first project in public in downtown Riverside, so it's a high honor for me to be part of this," Navarro said.
