The Mark is the name of a new apartment building on what is arguably Riverside’s most prominent corner. It’s seven stories tall and occupies a full block across from the Fox Theater. I watched it go up, and now that’s about to open, I got a tour, then put the development in context in my Sunday column.
Monthly Archives: February 2023
Column: Early Koreatown in Riverside is focus of $850,000 grant
I’ve written about the 1905 Korean American settlement in Riverside that appears to have been the first in the nation. It was the subject of a 2021 museum exhibition. And now the Mellon Foundation has granted $850,000 to bolster the exhibit and send it on a national tour. I write about that as well as give some history about Baseline Road in my Friday column.
Column: ‘Baseline Road’ crime novel set in early ’70s Claremont
A debut novel by a 72-year-old retired attorney takes place in Claremont and environs in 1970-72, when writer Orlando Davidson was living here and studying at Claremont Men’s College. The book starts with a campus bombing, inspired by an actual event, and goes from there as two law-enforcement friends look into the case, which isn’t what it seems. Along the way they drive real streets and eat at real restaurants, making the book a nostalgia kick for some as well as a mystery. I talk to Davidson for my Wednesday column. (If you saw in my recent Reading Log post that I read the book, then consider this a bonus.)
Column: Friends, family pay tribute to Juan Pollo’s Albert Okura
Juan Pollo founder Albert Okura, who died Jan. 27, was remembered Saturday with a low-key memorial event at his San Bernardino flagship restaurant. I was there and write about him for my Sunday column.
Column: After 70 years, a new home for American Legion
Ontario Post 112 had to give up its longtime home on Emporia Street because the city wanted to buy the property for affordable housing. But the city also provided a building at Mission and Vineyard and outfitted it for the post. A dedication is Saturday. I take a tour. Also! A 1904 building on Ontario’s Euclid Avenue gets a plaque. Both of these tales make up my Friday, all-Ontario column.
Column: Couple buys long-empty landmark in downtown SB
A 1929 building with lots of ornate details has sat empty in downtown San Bernardino for 15 years. But it’s just changed hands to a motivated couple who are prepping the building for new uses. I take a look and chat with them for my Wednesday column.
Column: Weber House a folk-art gem worth hunting for
When I was at Riverside’s Weber House recently to check out the pile of 19th century bricks from the Golden State Theater, I was asked if I’d like a tour of the house while I was there. Sure, why not. A charming, handmade little structure in the shadow of a Courtyard Marriott, the house was saved from demolition in the 1980s. I write about it for my Sunday column.
Column: In ’72, ‘Night Gallery’ sent chills through local election
I follow up on my recent column on Rod Serling’s “The Night Gallery” by telling the story of how a San Dimas City Council election was upended by one candidate’s appearance on the show: His opponents demanded equal time on network TV. Ed Nelson withdrew from the face to focus on his acting career. Also, a stately tree that fell on the University of La Verne campus was memorialized. Those two stories make up my Friday column.
Nice to get two adjacent cities from the Inland Valley into the same column, by the way, especially after a spate of Riverside columns. That’s just how they’ve worked out lately.
Column: ‘Lisa from Temecula’ skit was extra, extra well done
Did you see “Saturday Night Live,” or at least watch the standout sketch on your phone later? It involved the debut of an outlandish character called “Lisa from Temecula” (and also “Lisa, all the way from Temecula”). I couldn’t let an example of the Inland Empire on national TV go unremarked-upon — especially because it was a funny sketch! Also: Many of us rode Metrolink for free on Saturday, and the Hints From Heloise column gave a plug to the Press-Enterprise. All this in my Wednesday column.
Column: Cheech Marin now frequent visitor to Riverside
I check in with the actor and art collector seven months after his namesake art museum, The Cheech, opened in Riverside. He was in town for the State of the City event Jan. 26 and we got to chat beforehand. Although he has no official role at the museum, he’s around nearly every month. I write about him for my Sunday column.