Riverside Art Museum

Riverside Art Museum
Built 1929, originally the YWCA
Established	1967
Location	Riverside, California
Type	Art museum
Director	MJ Abraham
Curator	Peter Frank
Website	http://www.riversideartmuseum.org/index.htm

Old YWCA Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	3425 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, California
Coordinates:	33°58′54.2″N 117°22′13.7″W / 33.981722°N 117.370472°W / 33.981722; -117.370472Coordinates: 33°58′54.2″N 117°22′13.7″W / 33.981722°N 117.370472°W / 33.981722; -117.370472
Built:	1929
Architect:	Julia Morgan. Nethery Construction Company
Architectural style:	Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Mediterranean Revival, Classical Revival
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	82002227[1]
Added to NRHP:	January 28, 1982

Riverside Art Museum is an art museum in the historic Mission Inn District of Riverside, California. A non-profit organization, its mission is to "to serve the varied communities of the Inland Empire by providing visual art of the finest quality and related educational and interpretive programs."^[2]

The building originally served the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), and it was placed on the Natitional Register of Historic Places on March 13, 2009.

History

In 1929, the Riverside YWCA selected the corner of 7th (now Mission Inn Avenue) and Lime Streets as the site for its new building. The association's directors hired architect Julia Morgan to design the building over the objections of Frank Miller of the Mission Inn, who wanted an architect who would design the building in the Mission Revival Style architecture. Morgan used the Mediterranean Revival and Classical Revival styles in composing the design.

In 1960, the Riverside Art Center began fundraising to purchase the YWCA building, which had recently come onto the market. On July 5, 1967, the YWCA officially sold the building to the Riverside Arts Center for $250,000.

In 1982, the building was designated a Registered Historic Place and a city historic landmark.

In 1992, a three-phase renovation of the building was undertaken with the financial assistance of the City of Riverside.

Architecture

The building combines elements of Mediterranean and Classical architecture in an "innovative tri-block design".^[3] The first floor originally housed a swimming pool, an open-air atrium, and a gymnasium. The second floor featured bedrooms, offices, and meeting rooms with a small stage. On the roof was a badminton court. A garden, and an outdoor fireplace were added in the late 1930s as a memorial to Ruth Muir, former Secretary (Executive Director), after she was brutally assaulted and murdered at the age of 48, while vacationing in La Jolla.

Today, the building features two large galleries downstairs and two small galleries upstairs. The atrium has been covered with a glass ceiling, and an upstairs restroom has been converted into a library.

Exhibitions

The Riverside Art Museum mounts an average of 20 exhibitions per year, some of which are travelling exhibitions, of "art that addresses social issues, diverse themes and a range of media techniques".^[2]

Programs

The Riverside Art Museum hosts educational programs for both children and adults.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Home". Riverside Art Museum website. Riverside Art Museum. 2007-10-11. http://www.riversideartmuseum.org/. Retrieved 2007-10-13. 
3. ^ "History". Riverside Art Museum website. Riverside Art Museum. 2007-10-11. http://www.riversideartmuseum.org/. Retrieved 2007-10-13.