History
In the early 1950s, a loosely knit group of artists formed the Riverside Art Association to encourage the study and appreciation of the arts. Their first home, the Riverside Art Center, was a recently abandoned Municipal Dog Pound which City of Riverside officials leased to the Art Association for $1 a year.
By 1960, the growing Association clearly needed more space for its studio classes and numerous exhibitions. When architect Julia Morgan’s 1929 Riverside YWCA building became available for sale, the Association purchased it for $250,000. A successful fund drive followed and on July 5, 1967, YWCA officials formally turned over Morgan’s building. The transition from a YWCA building to the existing art museum was soon underway.
In 1982, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a Historic Landmark by the City of Riverside.
In 1990, museum trustees began a campaign to obtain funds for capital improvements. With generous assistance from the City of Riverside, the goal of $1,250,000 was attained in 1991. The following year, extensive renovations produced a sophisticated climate control system, increased exhibition space, collection storage, and an office at the back entry of the building. The garden atrium was weatherproofed with the addition of a glass roof and the kitchen area was extended. An upstairs library was made out of an unused bathroom space.
Community support for additional improvements came in 1993 when a City Block Grant and a grant from the Riverside Community Foundation funded the addition of a wheelchair ramp at the rear entrance. In 1994, a landscape renovation took place that was made possible entirely through donations of materials and labor. And in 1995, the generosity of a museum member funded the completion of the R.E. Olds Conference Room on the second floor.
The 2000s saw more renovations and repairs to maintain the functionality and beauty of our historic building.
Currently, the art museum boasts two spacious first floor galleries, two smaller second floor galleries, the R.E. Olds Conference room which houses our printmaking presses, and a second floor Mezzanine exhibition space. A Children’s Gallery and Studio Art Classroom are also located on the second floor along with administrative offices.
Although the original function of Julia Morgan’s building has changed, the spirit of its precedent-setting architect will be forever preserved in the timeless quality and beautiful design of the building. Morgan’s architecture truly stands as a testimony to her fortitude, her skill, and her brilliantly enduring sensibilities.
Julia Morgan, Architect
The Board of Directors of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) voted on December 12, 2013 to posthumously award the 2014 AIA Gold Medal to Julia Morgan, the architect behind such buildings as St. John’s Presbyterian Church (Berkeley), Asilomar YWCA (Pacific Grove), Hearst Castle (San Simeon), and Riverside’s own former YWCA and current home of the Riverside Art Museum.
The AIA Gold Medal, voted on annually, is considered to be the profession’s highest honor that an individual can receive. The Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. Morgan’s legacy will be honored at the AIA 2014 National Convention and Design Exposition in Chicago, and have her name chiseled into the granite Wall of Honor in the lobby of the AIA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Morgan is the first woman to win the Gold Medal, having designed over 700 buildings. “Most of them are still standing,” says Julia Donoho, the AIA board member who nominated Morgan for the Gold Medal. Donoho spoke at RAM’s annual Julia Morgan Reception, held this year at RAM Board Member’s Cathy Kienle’s home, telling the invitees that she nominated Morgan because she felt that it was past time to award the AIA Gold Medal to a female architect.
Morgan was born in San Francisco on January 20, 1872 and attended the University of California, Berkeley beginning in 1890. In 1894, she became the first woman to graduate from the university with a degree in civil engineering.
While studying at Berkeley, professor and celebrated architect Bernard Maybeck (1862-1957) recognized Morgan’s great intellect and potential. Maybeck hired Morgan to work in his studio and became her lifetime mentor, advisor, and close friend. It was Maybeck who suggested that she attend the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, the most prominent architecture school of its day, and eventually Morgan became the first woman admitted to the school. In 1902, in her thirtieth year, Morgan returned to Oakland with her certification of completion and immediately began to work for architect John Galen Howard. In 1904, she became the first woman licensed to practice architecture in California, and opened her own firm.
In the midst of our beautiful city of Riverside, we have a Morgan-designed landmark treasure. Built in 1929 in a unique mixture of Mediterranean and Classical revival styles, the Riverside YWCA on the corner of Lime and Mission Inn incorporated practicality, convenience, and elegant simplicity in an innovative tri-block design, constructed with reinforced, poured-in-place concrete. This design is unique among the 17 YWCA’s Morgan designed. The movement and interest created by the tri-block design works not only on the exterior of the building, but also on the two interior floors. Originally, the first floor housed an indoor swimming pool, dressing rooms, and showers with an entrance lobby that faced out onto an open atrium garden. A large gymnasium and stage occupied the remaining ground-floor space. The second floor contained bedrooms, offices, and a versatile meeting room with a small stage. Concealed stairs led to a roof garden that featured an outdoor fireplace, an expansive view of downtown Riverside, and ample space for badminton games. Morgan’s building successfully functioned as Riverside’s YWCA for nearly 40 years.
