Riverside Main LIBRARY

City of Riverside | Riverside, CA

 

Size and Cost:

40,000 SF; $30 M

Timeline:

2017 - 2021

TEAM:

PRINCIPALS:

Steve Johnson, Jim Favaro

PROJECT ARCHITECT:

Steve Johnson

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL:

Brian Davis

DESIGN ASSOCIATES:

Kevin Geraghty, Hongjie Li

AWARDS:

INTERIOR DESIGN MAGAZINE

Best of Year Finalist - Library Category, 2021

AIA LOS ANGELES

Merit Award, Healthcare/Institutional/Civic, 2022

ENGINEERING NEWS RECORD - CALIFORNIA

Award of Merit, Government/Public Buliding, 2022

AIA INLAND CALIFORNIA

Jury Best of Show, 2022

GRAY MAGAZINE

Gray Design Awards Finalist, 2022


This four-story building on Mission Inn Avenue in downtown Riverside spans over Fairmont Boulevard, which bisects the 2 ½ acre site on the eastern edge of downtown. The new facility operates as the downtown main library within an eight-branch city library system. The library occupies one-third of the site, while a high-rise, mixed-use development will occupy the other two-thirds. Most of the library resides at the second floor — 36 feet above the ground — to capture both a sense of stature for the library and the spectacular panoramic views of the mountain ranges surrounding the city.

The ground floor remains open to accommodate outdoor community functions and events, such as farmers markets, festivals and book fairs. The library features a shaded outdoor terrace at the third floor facing southwest toward Mount Rubidoux — a prominent local landmark. High column free space at the second and third floors accommodates maximum flexibility in the library's interiors, enabling it to adapt to changing times. Views from the main reading areas looks out onto the San Gabriel, San Bernardino and Box Spring mountains to the west, north and east.


Interior Design Magazine | Highwire Video Series

Episode 1: Planning

Episode 2: Design

Episode 3: Construction

Episode 4: Opening