When CC Miller first brought his family out to our fair city of Riverside, CA in 1876, there was nothing but orange fields as far as the eye could see. CC Miller built a small, two-story adobe boarding house that he named Glenwood Cottage on the one city block that CC had purchased. He and his family ran the boarding house until 1902, when CC decided that he wanted a change of scenery and moved with his wife out of the area. At that time, CC's son Frank decided to take over running the boarding house.
But, Frank Miller had much grander plans than his father. Frank's vision was to create a beautiful destination hotel, which would eventually become the Mission Inn. At the turn of the century, California was known for its missions that were founded by the Franciscan monks. Frank Miller decided that calling his hotel the "Mission Inn" would help create a certain mystique and aura that would draw people to this tiny out-of-the-way town. If someone thought his hotel was originally a true mission, he wouldn't correct them. He even went so far as to dress like a monk, board the trains that came out to the area and comment about how great the Mission Inn hotel was, handing out oranges to anyone who was interested. When wealthy travelers came out to inspect the Mission Inn that this monk was speaking so highly of, they would stay for weeks at a time (a "season").
While never considered a wealthy man, Frank Miller was quite the visionary. He would travel to Europe, see something he liked in either architecture or even furniture, make a drawing of it (if it wasn't cheap enough for him to be able to buy it) and have it reproduced for his hotel. He would buy pieces he was interested in at yard sales or estate sales as long as they fit his "bargain basement" mentality. At one point, he even let the community know that he was willing to buy up anyone's wrought iron fencing that they were willing to part with. He took these wrought iron pieces, none of which matched by the way, and created a beautiful brick wall that incorporated all the panels.
Frank Miller loved the bells incorporated into other California missions and decided to add his own. He also wanted to honor the local Native Americans in the area by utilizing the dual cross (called the "Rain Cross") in the design. The City of Riverside liked this so much that they offered to buy the rights to the symbol of the dual cross above the bell. Frank, in his very salesman-like way, told the City that they didn't have to buy it. They could use it as much as they wanted to as long as they didn't change it in any way. He figured that whenever anyone saw the symbol, they would think of his Mission Inn. And, this strategy paid off. You can see this symbol on everything from street signs to street lights to City of Riverside stationery, including your electric and trash bill.
Throughout the years, other wings were built in differing styles from the original "U"-shaped Mission Inn, somehow incorporating European, Spanish, Renaissance, Italian, Asian and Turkish influences, among others. While the building itself is technically four stories tall, there are over 20 different levels throughout the entire building.
When Frank Miller purchased a beautiful gold family altar from friends in Mexico, it was too large to put anywhere in the Mission Inn. So, he had a chapel built around the altar. The chapel also contains seven of eight original Tiffany stained glass windows that were given to Frank Miller by Mr. Tiffany himself after the church they were originally housed in was destined to be torn down. Not one to cater only to one theology, Frank's chapel also includes a menorah and representations of other religions.
Many celebrities and dignitaries have graced the halls of the historic Mission Inn, including several presidents (Harrison, McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, Taft, Hoover, JFK, Nixon, Ford, Reagon and George W Bush). Ron and Nancy Reagan spent their honeymoon night at the Mission Inn. Betty Davis got married in the Inn's chapel. Sarah Bernardt, Mary Pickford, Clark Gable, Harry Houdini, Ginger Rogers, Cary Grant and Spencer Tracy are just some of the big stars that have stayed at the Inn over the years. Even current celebrities, like Barbara Streisand, Arnold Swartzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Drew Barrymore and even the Osbournes have spent time at the Inn.
From the day after Thanksgiving to just after the new Year, the Mission Inn is bathed in the brilliance of thousands of Christmas lights to celebrate Riverside's Festival of Lights. This is a sight to behold, believe me!
After Frank Miller died in 1935, his children decided they didn't want to run the hotel. Ownership changed hands several times over the years. At one point, it served as dorms for students attending the University of California at Riverside. One company bought it and went bankrupt just a couple of months before it was set to celebrate its grand re-opening and was boarded up for many years, sitting empty. When some of the Mission Inn was set to be demolished to make way for a parking lot, many people (officially calling themselves the Friends of the Mission Inn) lobbied to have it declared a historic landmark. It now holds the distinction of being a city, state and national landmark and has been reborn as a beautiful, luxurious hotel in downtown Riverside.
The hotel has four different restaurants: the outdoor cafe-style Las Campanas that serves wonderful Mexican food, the Mission Inn Restaurant that has an amazing Sunday brunch to die for, the Bella Trattoria that is a wonderful Italian experience in an outdoor setting and the upscale Duane's Steak House.
It's amazing what can come of one simple man's dream. When you think of Riverside, California, you can't help but think of the Mission Inn.
