First Congregational Church of Riverside - Riverside, CA
Posted by: saopaulo1
N 33° 58.908 W 117° 22.315
11S E 465647 N 3760200
The First Congregational Church of Riverside in downtown Riverside, CA.
Waymark Code: WMWMRP
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/18/2017
Views: 1
"The First Congregational Church of Riverside is a two-story and basement Spanish Colonial Revival style religious building, with a 125-foot Churrigueresque style corner tower. The Latin cross plan church building has a reinforced concrete foundation, supporting a brick double-wall perimeter wall. The tower is constructed of reinforced concrete. The building is located on the southwest corner of Mission Inn Avenue (formerly Seventh Street) and Lemon Street in downtown Riverside, and is oriented on an east/west axis. The entrance facade faces north along Mission Inn Avenue, and is set back approximately twenty-five feet from the property line. The building's secondary exposure, along Lemon Street, is limited to a setback of approximately ten feet. Directly south of the east end of the church, and fronting onto Lemon Street, is the parsonage. This two-story Mission Revival style building was constructed in 1905, and was originally located along Seventh Street. It was moved to its present location in 1912, just before construction began on the church. The parsonage is a contributor to the property, since it was in situ at the time the church was constructed. A parking lot is located west of (behind) the parsonage. This area was originally a large semi-circular lawn which radiated from the church's outdoor pulpit to the southern property line. With the exception of the parking lot, the church property has changed little from its historic appearance. For over eighty years the highly visible Churrigueresque style tower has served as an urban "anchor," signaling the entrance into Riverside's downtown via the Seventh Street/Mission Inn Avenue corridor. The church building and its generously landscaped linear forecourt perpetuated the image of Riverside as a Mediterranean city—an image initiated by the Mission Revival addition to the Glenwood Inn (now Mission Inn) in 1902. The church building and parsonage retain a high degree of integrity of design and have had little alteration since their construction." (
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