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Mission Inn


Mission Inn



State Historical Landmark plaque
MISSION INN
FRANK A. MILLER (1857-1935) MADE ADOBE BRICKS FOR A SMALL 12 ROOM GUEST HOUSE WHICH HE OPENED IN 1876. OVER THE YEARS BY SUCCESSIVE BUILDING ADDITIONS HE FULLFILLED HIS DREAM BY RECREATING THIS EARLY CALIFORNIA MISSION STYLE SETTING OF A HOTEL.
CALIFORNIA REGISTERED
HISTORICAL LANDMARK NO. 761

PLAQUE PLACED BY THE CALIFORNIA STATE PARK COMMISSION IN COOPERATION WITH THE MISSION INN GARDEN HOTEL.
OCTOBER 21, 1961




National Historic Landmark plaque
MISSION INN
HAS BEEN DESIGNATED A
NATIONAL
HISTORIC LANDMARK
THIS SITE POSSESSES NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
IN COMMEMORATING THE HISTORY OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

1977
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR




Cultural Heritage Landmark plaque
MISSION INN
1902 - 1931
ORIGINATED AS GLENWOOD COTTAGE, 1876. THE PRESENT BUILDING WAS DEVELOPED BY FRANK MILLER IN A CALIFORNIA MISSION STYLE WITH ARCHITECTS ARTHUR B. BENTON, MYRON HUNT, AND G. STANLEY WILSON.
CULTURAL HERITAGE LANDMARK NO. 1
CITY OF RIVERSIDE



Native Sons of the Golden West plaque
THE MISSION INN PORTRAYS THE STYLE AND GRACE OF A GOLDEN ERA, BUILT BY FRANK MILLER BEGINNING IN 1882, THE MISSION INN'S MAGNIFICENT AMBIANCE TOOK A SPAN OF 66 YEARS TO BE COMPLETED. MILLER HAD THE FORESIGHT TO RECOGNIZE THAT RIVERSIDE WAS BECOMING A MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION FOR WEALTHY EASTERNERS AND EUROPEANS SEEKING INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PROFITABLE CITRUS INDUSTRY. MORE THAN ANYTHING, THE MISSION INN IS AN ARTFUL AND ARCHITECTURAL TRIBUTE TO THE VISION, ECLECTICISM AND ECCENTRICITY OF FRANK MILLER; ONE THAT DESERVES TO BE EXPERIENCED BY ALL WHO HAPPEN UPON IT.
RE-DEDICATED IN
TRUTH, LIBERTY AND TOLERATION
OCTOBER 23, 1993
RE-DEDICATED BY
GRAND PARLOR, NATIVE SONS OF THE GOLDEN WEST
PHILIP D. WONG, GRAND PRESIDENT



Exterior views of the Mission Inn

Exterior views of the Mission Inn Exterior views of the Mission Inn Exterior views of the Mission Inn

Exterior views of the Mission Inn Exterior views of the Mission Inn



Outside architectural elements

The following is just a sample of wonders you will see when you visit the Mission Inn. At every turn you will find an interesting architectural feature of the Inn's design.

views of the Mission Inn views of the Mission Inn views of the Mission Inn

views of the Mission Inn views of the Mission Inn views of the Mission Inn

views of the Mission Inn views of the Mission Inn views of the Mission Inn

views of the Mission Inn views of the Mission Inn views of the Mission Inn

views of the Mission Inn views of the Mission Inn views of the Mission Inn



Interior of the Inn


Interior views of the Mission Inn Interior views of the Mission Inn Interior views of the Mission Inn

Interior views of the Mission Inn Interior views of the Mission Inn Interior views of the Mission Inn




Christmastime at night

The pictures on this webpage were taken during the Christmas season. At night, a truly spectacular display can be seen with countless lights and annimated displays.

Christmas photos Christmas photos Christmas photos

Christmas photos Christmas photos Christmas photos



Presidential Visits

Over the years, several U.S. Presidents have visited the Mission Inn or its predesessor, the Glenwood Hotel. Their portraits are on dislpay in the lobby along with a brief story recounting their visits.

Harrison, McKinley and Roosevelt
Harrison, McKinley and Roosevelt

Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901)

Twenty-Third President of the United States

On April 23, 1891, President Harrison toured the town of Riverside. Known for its citrus industry, the town was on its way to becoming the wealthiest city per capita in the nation. Prior to boarding a train headed for San Bernardino, the President, his wife, and entourage stopped in front of the Seventh Street entrance to Frank Miller's Glenwood Hotel (the forerunner of today's Mission Inn). After a short speech and an apology for the brevity of his visit, the President and Mrs. Harrison gratefully accepted a large basket of flowers gently offered by Miller's nine-year-old daughter, Allis, and departed for the train station.


William McKinley (1843-1901)

Twenty-Fifth President of the United States

The 25th President of the United States is believed to have Mission Inn while it was still The Glenwood, shortly before he was assassinated in 1901. Little is known about William McKinley's visit except that during the Pacific swing of his speaking tour, he ventured through the cities of Redlands and Riverside. He was fatally shot on September 6, 1901 in Buffalo, New York.


Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

Twenty-Sixth President of the United States

The campaign trail led Theodore Roosevelt to the Mission Inn on May 7, 1903. Having visited several Southern California towns, Mr. Roosevelt retired for the day in a suite at the hotel. The following day, Mission Inn owner, Frank Miller, enlisted Roosevelt's aid in the ceremonial replanting of one of Riverside's two parent naval orange trees in the hotel's main courtyard. Dressed in a top hat and tails and armed with a shovel, the President planted the tree that would help spawn California's thriving naval orange industry. Following his departure, his room would later be christened the Presidential Suite in honor of his visit complete with the presidential crest replicated in stained glass. Today, the suite is the hotel's cocktail lounge and appropriately designated, the Presidential Lounge.

Taft, Hoover and Kennedy
Taft, Hoover and Kennedy

William Howard Taft (1857-1930)

Twenty-Seventh President of the United States

William Howard Taft's visit to the Mission Inn on October 12, 1909, was easily the most brief but very lasting. Following an early-morning tour of Southern California, the President arrived in Riverside where he participated in a ceremony to honor Father Junipero Serra, founder of the California Missions. After the ceremony, Taft returned to the Mission Inn where he was escorted to the Presidential Suite (now the Presidential Lounge), to prepare for a banquet in his honor in the hotel's dining room. State and local dignitaries along with Frank Miller, owner of the Inn, were in attendance along with nearly 100 others. Having prepared diligently for the President's visit, Mr. Miller even commissioned his craftsmen to build a special chair to accommodate Taft's 300-pound frame. Following a whirlwind day of events, President Taft bid farewell to his guests and departed Riverside on the 9:30 p.m. train. Following the visit, his personally made, hand-crafted chair was placed in the hotel lobby where it sits today.

Herbert Hoover (1874-1964)

Thirty-First President of the United States

On March 19, 1939, former President Herbert Hoover convened at the Mission Inn with 100 fellow Republicans to discuss the 1940 election. Hoover had quietly slipped into Riverside earlier in the day to enjoy lunch at the Mission Inn before gathering with the Republican leadership of Riverside, Imperial, Orange, San Diego and San Bernardino counties. Part of the discussion that day focused on methods of maintaining a Republican hold on the presidency. Hoover was doubtful that FDR would run for a third term, but in fact did seek re-election and won the Presidential election in 1940 and again in 1944, for an unprecedented four terms.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963)

Thirty-Fifth President of the United States

John F. Kennedy came to Riverside in early - December 1940 to participate in the eighteenth annual gathering of the Institute of World Affairs, an organization founded by Frank A. Miller, owner of the Mission Inn, and Rufus Von Klein-smid, Chancellor of the University of Southern California. A 25-year-old graduate of Stanford University's business college, Kennedy served as rapporteur, summarizing, analyzing and preparing written reports on the content of the meetings' various round-table discussions. He was already the author of the best-selling Why England Slept and an unofficial advisor to his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, the U.S. Ambassador to England. Kennedy voiced his aspirations to the local newspaper, citing his hopes for England's victory over Germany in the Battle of Britain and his excitement.

Ford, Reagan and Bush
Ford, Reagan and Bush


Gerald Ford (1913-    )

Thirty-Eighth President of the United States

It took patience to get Gerald Ford's painting on the wall of the Inn. Innkeeper Duane Roberts had ordered the painting in December 1996, but the work stayed in storage until March 20, 1998 when President Ford visited the Inn. On that day, President Ford was the guest of honor at a fund-raiser for Mary Bono, who was leading an ultimately successful campaign to fill the seat of her husband, the late Rep. Sonny Bono.

Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)

Fortieth President of the United States

Political aspirations were not yet in the senario when Ronald Reagan proposed to Actress Nancy Davis. On March 4, 1952, following a private wedding ceremony in San Fernando Valley's Little Brown Church of the Valley, the Reagans proceeded to the Mission Inn for the first night of their honeymoon. Upon arrival, a bouquet of red roses greeted the couple, compliments of the hotel with wishes for a long and successful union. Before continuing on to Phoenix the following morning, the Reagans gave the roses to another guest of the Inn - an elderly woman staying across the hall from the newlyweds.

George W. Bush (1946-    )

Forty-Third President of the United States

During his campaign for the presidency, Texas Governor George W. Bush was the guest of honor at a fund-raising reception on September 29, 1999 at the Mission Inn. Hosted by the "Keeper of the Inn" Duane R. Roberts, a capacity crowd greeted the Republican presidential hopeful in the Music Room, where he made formal remarks before mingling with the crowd. During a private conversation with Duane Roberts that day, Bush promised to return to the Mission Inn after he was elected President of the United States. Bush was elected President in November 2000, and was sworn into office in January 2001.

Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon (1913-1994)

Thirty-Seventh President of the United States

A native of nearby Yorba Linda, California, Richard Nixon's visits to the Mission Inn began early in the 1930's. A frequent visitor of Riverside to visit an aunt, Richard Nixon also shared the hotel with his future wife on several occasions for romantic dinners in the Inn's Spanish Patio. Having grown their relationship among the beauty of the Inn, it was no surprise they chose the Mission Inn as the site of their nuptuals. Like many young couples at the end of the Great Depression, the Nixon's finances were meager. Unable to afford a large wedding, they opted to marry in the Presidential Lounge instead of one of the more grand wedding chapels. The wedding took place on June 21, 1940 at 3:30 p.m. An intimate reception in the Spanish Art Gallery followed for family and close friends.



Frank A. Miller statue Frank Augustus Miller plaque

FRANK AUGUSTUS MILLER
1857 - 1935
FOUNDER OF THE MISSION INN
FRIEND, BENEFACTOR AND COMMUNITY
LEADER OF EARLY RIVERSIDE

RICHARD MYER - SCULPTOR

PROPERTY OF THE MISSION INN FOUNDATION
DEDICATED 1999


 
The Mission Inn





The Mission Inn is located at 3649 Mission Inn Avenue, in Riverside. See map.




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