@ Riverside Art Museum

EXHIBITION ON VIEW: May 4 – October 6, 2024

In 2012, during a California-wide celebration of pioneering architect Julia Morgan, the Riverside Art Museum launched Julia Morgan: Foundation and Transition. This exhibition gave unprecedented insight into Morgan’s unique architectural style and her design of the 1929 Riverside YWCA, now known as the Riverside Art Museum (RAM).

Julia Morgan (1872-1957) was the first female professional architect in California and the first woman to ever receive the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal award, which she won posthumously in 2013. She is known for her work on the iconic Hearst Castle, multiple Californian residencies, and her YWCA buildings—which were critical during the Women’s Movement in California. A group of Riverside women successfully campaigned for Morgan to design the YWCA in downtown Riverside, which was completed in 1929.

Today, RAM aims to further preserve and renovate this historic gem. The museum is re-presenting the original Julia Morgan exhibition but with updates: newly commissioned photography from Sofia Valiente showing key architectural elements of the building; deeper cultural context; and information about the proposed renovation.

The new exhibition, titled 3425 Mission Inn Avenue: Foundation, Transition, Innovation, works to ensure the histories of this significant building and the community behind its creation and preservation are not lost to time.

3425 Mission Inn Avenue: Foundation, Transition, Innovation is made possible by the support of the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, whose grants over the years have preserved this building.

Photo credit: Sofia Valiente’s photography