City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JANUARY 6, 2026 FROM: MUSEUM DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: APPROVE THE DONATION OF SALVAGED ITEMS FROM MAIN MUSEUM FACILITY TO THE OLD RIVERSIDE FOUNDATION AND THE RIVERSIDE ARTS COUNCIL ISSUE:
Approve the donation of salvaged items from Main Museum facility to the Old Riverside Foundation and the Riverside Arts Council.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve the donation of salvaged items from the Main Museum facility to the Old Riverside Foundation; and Approve the donation of salvaged marble panels from the Main Museum facility to the Riverside Arts Council.
BACKGROUND:
The main facility of the Museum of Riverside (Museum) is located at 3580 Mission Inn Avenue in a building designed in 1912 as a U.S. Post Office by James K. Taylor, a principal draftsman at the United States Architects’ Office. The Neo-Classical style of the building was common for early twentieth-century government structures; the building also reflects the Mission Revival materials and details typical of its Southern California location.
Part of the work for the renovation of the downtown main Museum involves removal of historic elements including, but not limited to, light fixtures, doors, windows, restroom fixtures, and marble panels from walls. Some of these elements will be retained and reinstalled as part of the rehabilitation of the 1912 Post Office building. Others have not been integrated into the plans for the rehabilitated structure.
DISCUSSION:
Elements that will not be retained and/or reinstalled have been identified as being of interest to the Old Riverside Foundation and Riverside Arts Council, two Riverside non-profit organizations. If these items are not donated, they will end up in the landfill.
The Old Riverside Foundation (ORF) is a private, non-profit corporation whose purpose is education and advocacy related to the recognition, appreciation, and preservation of the historic built environment and associated cultural resources in the City of Riverside. ORF works to distribute historic building elements to those rehabilitating other structures, either through retail sale or donation.
The Riverside Arts Council (RAC) is a private, non-profit corporation whose mission is “to provide, develop, support and sustain the arts.” RAC will make the marble panels removed from the walls of the restrooms in the main Museum available free of charge to local artists.
These items have been removed from the main Museum as part of the main Museum rehabilitation and expansion project and will be available to be picked up by ORF and RAC after City Council approves the donation of these items. An itemized inventory will be prepared at the time of delivery and retained in the Museum’s records.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact of the salvaged value of the items is less than $5,000. In addition, by donating these items, it will relieve the City of Riverside of the time and cost associated with disposal.
Prepared by: Ann Lovell, Manager of Operations
Reviewed by: Robyn G. Peterson, Museum Director
Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Marble sheets salvaged from restrooms and other locations.Marble sheets salvaged from restrooms and other locations.
Marble sheets salvaged from restrooms and other locations.
Marble sheets salvaged from restrooms and other locations.
The images below are representative of the doors, windows, and fixtures proposed for donation to the Old Riverside Foundation. They do not illustrate every item.
Historic doors, windows, and restroom fixtures ready for transfer.Historic doors, windows, and restroom fixtures ready for transfer.
Historic doors, windows, and restroom fixtures ready for transfer.
Historic doors, windows, and restroom fixtures ready for transfer.
Donate main museum salvage ● Page 2