t the beginning of the 20th Century, the allure and romance of the California missions spurred the adoption of Mission-style architecture. Mission Inn architect Arthur B. Benton (1911) wrote:

“(The Missions) advertise the State as nothing else can.
They give a touch of the romantic and historical atmosphere
which is the lure that draws the people to our new America. . .” (p. 159)

Frank Miller, owner of the Mission Inn, was an enthusiastic supporter of the California missions. In the book Towards a Simpler Way of Life – The Arts and Crafts Architects of California, architectural historian Karen J. Weitze (Winter, 1997) writes:

“. . . from its courtyard plan and surrounding arcades to its towers
and campanarios, the hotel was – and remains – a potent tribute
to the romance of Spanish-Mexican California.” (p. 196)

The simple beauty of an inner courtyard, clay roof tiles, and rough-hewn beams are all mission-influenced features of the hotel. Arches like the ones found at San Juan Capistrano, San Luis Rey, and other California missions line Mission Inn Avenue (originally named 7th Street). Guests who have visited both the Inn and Mission San Gabriel de Archangel will recognize the similarity between the Mission Inn's bell tower, the Campanario, and the bell tower at San Gabriel. The design of the terra cotta colored dome of Mission San Carlos Borromeo Carmelo was incorporated into the northeast corner of the hotel, and the original two-story home Frank Miller's father built on the property in 1875 was transformed into the one story “Old Adobe,” complete with roof garden. Despite such architectural similarities, there was never an actual mission on the site.

The Spanish-Mission Revival style came to serve as a unifying architectural element for the City of Riverside’s downtown core. Other examples of Spanish-Mission Revival architecture downtown include the Riverside Memorial Auditorium and Soldier's Memorial (designed by Mission Inn architects Arthur B. Benton and G. Stanley Wilson); the US Post Office, now the Riverside Metropolitan Museum; the old Riverside City Hall; the YWCA, now the Riverside Art Museum (designed by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan); the Fox Theatre; the Union Pacific Depot; the YMCA, now the Life Arts Building; the First Church of Christ, Scientist (designed by Benton); the Riverside First Congregational Church (designed by Mission Inn architect Myron Hunt); Casa de Anza motel (designed by Wilson) on Market Street; and the Riverside Carnegie Library, which was replaced in 1965.

This stylistic influence reached beyond the downtown area. Myron Hunt was selected as the architect for the permanent structures at March Field, the Army Air Corps’ base east of Riverside. The government reported that the style of the base was to “harmonize with the best traditions of the historical architecture of Southern California," just like the Mission Inn, as noted in the National Register of Historic Places nomination materials for March Field (National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Historic Overview section 8, page 37, n.d.).

At the Mission Inn, we also see Islamic, Moorish, Italian, Asian, and Arts and Crafts influences. Islamic design is evident in the Alhambra Court (1923-1924) located on the 4th floor of the hotel. Sandwiched between the Mission Wing (1902-1903) and the St. Francis Atrio (Rotunda Wing 1929-1931), the Court of the Orient is inspired by Asian architecture. The introduction of the Pacific Islands-inspired Lea Lea Room added another cultural dimension to the Inn in 1939. Over a thirty year period, hotel architects Benton, Hunt, and Wilson created and blended these architectural styles into a unique structure that resembles no single region of the world.

These three architects were responsible for numerous commissions throughout Southern California. The Mission Inn is considered the pinnacle of Benton's architecture career. His other projects included the Pasadena YMCA, Church of the Epiphany in Los Angeles’ Lincoln Heights, and the president’s home at Claremont McKenna College (formally Claremont Men’s College). Hunt, from Pasadena, also left an invaluable architectural legacy, including the college campuses of Cal Tech, Pomona, and Occidental, the Rose Bowl, the Pasadena City Library, the Ambassador Hotel, the Huntington Hospital (now the Court of Appeals), the Hollywood Bowl, and the Henry E. Huntington Beaux Arts mansion (part of the Huntington Libraries). Architect and builder G. Stanley Wilson was a Riverside resident, and the local region benefited from his talent. Wilson designed several schools and houses in Riverside, as well as the National Register-listed Mission Revival style US Post Office Building in nearby Redlands. The shared vision of these architects will live on forever through the distinctive and timeless beauty of the Mission Inn.

The recognition of the Mission Inn as a National Historic Landmark, a California State Historic Landmark, and a City of Riverside Cultural Landmark reinforced the need to preserve this unique melding of architectural styles. In 1985, the hotel was closed for a major renovation and preservation effort. Careful attention to detail was essential in order to maintain the historic and architectural integrity of the landmark site. The project included updating the electrical and plumbing systems, installing air conditioning, fire sprinklers, and structural and seismic reinforcement, along with other life and safety measures. These efforts required the ingenuity of preservation architects, engineers, and contractors. The beautifully restored Mission Inn reopened to great fanfare in 1992.

.                                                              Enter Architecture

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Benton, Arthur B. (1911). The California Mission and Its Influence upon Pacific Coast Architecture. The West Coast Magazine, 9, 2, 136-160.

Winter, Robert. (Ed.). (1997). Towards a Simpler Way of Life – The Arts and Crafts Architects of California . Berkeley: University of California Press.