Hawthorne Elementary School (2700 Irvine St., Riverside) has an impressive mural exhibiting a hawk (the school mascot), oranges, citrus groves and the school's name. It was painted by Murals for Campus, most likely by a group led by their artist Tom Seibert @muralsforschools.
Above the door to Provident Bank (6570 Magnolia Ave., Riverside) at the intersection of Magnolia and Central Avenues, can be found a tryptic of lovely mosaics designed by Millard Sheets. Sheet's design was converted into the mosaics by Denis O'Connor from Anza, CA. This is one of the more than 80 mosaics that Sheets originally designed for Home Savings and Loan Buildings throughout California. As described in a Press Enterprise article, "Because of the importance of citrus to early Riverside, the Sheets mural’s central panel depicts Eliza Tibbets watering the parent navel orange tree from her dishpan and standing next to a man who holds a shovel and an orange. The Mission Inn is featured in the background. That panel is flanked by two narrower ones that depict blooming yuccas and a Joshua Tree."
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
The Barber District has a simple, palm tree-containing mural on the side of their store (6677 Magnolia Ave., Riverside). The mural is signed by Yonk.
On the west wall of the Placita Restaurant (1805 University Ave, Riverside), there are a series of murals. The lavender one with two skulls is signed "art by dirt cobain 2018" (@dirtcobain on Instagram). The Day of the Dead celebration was done by Jesus A. Castaneda (@exoskeletal27 on Instagram), and the woman with the two nopales (cactus pads) was done by Elide (@eliddeeee on Instagram).
On the east wall of the closed Magnolia Center Post Office (3681 Sunnyside Drive, Riverside) is a bright and recently completed Riverside Love Letter mural. It was painted by Ekaterina Orlovie (@orlovie on Instagram). I was able to see the work in progress and the last photo shows the artist in front of her mural. The painting is part of the Beautify Riverside initiative supported by @mayorlockdawson @cityofriverside @philipjfalcone and @eastsidearthouse.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
On the front of the old Magnolia Elementary School auditorium (5885 Magnolia Ave., Riverside) is a mural recognizing key figures in the history of Riverside. It was painted by Sam Huang and Fred Roever in 2003. The plaque below also identifies the historic figures were and who commissioned the work. Update July 2024: I recently noticed that there are also mosaics on the various school buildings. The one by the front office is shown below. The artist is unknown.
The Fairmount Golf Course (2681 Dexter Drive, Riverside) located in Fairmount Park has several murals. One showing the name of the establishment, is located over the front entrance. The others, representing Stewart boathouse and Lake Evans in Fairmont Park, cover a storage container, helping it blend in to the surroundings. The large mural on the container was painted by a group led by @exoskeletal27 (Jesus A. Castañeda) and @rondeezyyyy (Ronald del Cid) as part of the Youth Opportunity Center’s project bridge program sponsored by the City of Riverside (@cityofriverside). A video of the painting of the mural can be found here.
At the intersection of Van Buren Ave. and Magnolia Ave. (approx. 3790 and 3801 Van Buren Ave., Riverside ) are found two large digital prints on fabric, one of which depicts the Arlington Village area in 1948. The other appears to be from about the same era. The prints have faded and are in need of some repair. The original photographers are unknown. Based on signs that used to be above the picture, the Arlington Business Partnership @abpriverside sponsored the larger display. Note: July 2025. The prints are no longer there.
On the west side of the new main library in downtown Riverside (3900 Mission Inn Avenue), there is a brightly colored mural of four women with braided hair. The lead artist was Denise Silva (@pearmama on Instagram) and the mural is entitled, "Grandmothers". She was assisted by Amparo Chi, Jeshua V. and Solomon Cortes. More information about the mural and others painted by Silva that are on display at other Riverside libraries can be found on the City of Riverside website, a recent Hey SoCal post and a Raincross Gazette article.
.jpeg)
On the side of the Gavilla Automotive building (2629 Main St., Riverside) is a bright mural showing three pickup trucks, a raincross and a California 395 sign. It was painted by Ronald Del Cid (@Rondeezyyyy) and David Stewart, both of @inspiredcustomarts (on Instagram).
The parking lot (2827 Ninth St., Riverside) for the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is lined with walls painted with murals combining Mexican, Catholic and Riverside themes. Ronald Del Cid (@Rondeezyyyy) and Jesus Castaneda (@exoskeletal27) were the artists who designed and led a large groups of volunteers in painting the murals. The painting of the mural is shown in a YouTube video.
The sidewalk of an alley (approx. 3538 Franklin St., Riverside) connecting Franklin and Kansas streets has seven mosaics made of imbedded rocks. The artists who made them are unknown.
