Museum of Riverside
 Built 1912, originally as the United States Post Office[1] | |
 | |
| Established | 1924 |
|---|---|
| Location | Riverside, California |
| Type | History, Anthropology, Natural Science |
| Collection size | 100,000 |
| Director | Sarah Mundy |
| Curator | Brenda Buller Focht |
| Website | http://www.riversideca.gov/museum/ |
| Official name | Riverside Municipal Museum[1] |
| Reference no. | 11 |
The Riverside Metropolitan Museum, or RMM, is a history, anthropological, and natural science museum located in the historic Mission Inn District of Riverside, California, United States. The museum is a department of the City of Riverside, but is supported by the Riverside Museum Associates (RMA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
History
The museum was established on December 12, 1924, when the widow of Cornelius Earle Rumsey donated his collection of Native American artifacts to the City of Riverside. Rumsey, a retired executive of the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco), came to Riverside for his health and subsequently developed an interest in Native American artifacts.[2]
The museum was originally located in the basement of the old City Hall building from 1925 through 1948. It then moved to the basement of the current building, originally a Federal Post Office. As the museum's collections grew, the museum expanded to all of the floors in the 1960s and 1970s.[3]
After his retirement from teaching at Riverside Junior College, noted naturalist Edmund C. Jaeger served as a curator for the museum. A permanent exhibit at the museum is dedicated to him and the natural landscape of Southern California.
The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).[4]
Architecture
The building was designed in the Renaissance Revival Style.
References
- Patterson, Tom. A Colony For California; Riverside's First Hundred Years, Second Edition, 1996. The Museum Press of the Riverside Museum Associates. ISBN 0-935661-24-7.
- Riverside Municipal Museum Brochure
- ^ a b Riverside Cultural Heritage Board (January 2002). "Landmarks of the City of Riverside" (PDF). City of Riverside. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
- ^ Patterson, page 345.
- ^ BID Bulletin, Riverside Downtown Business Improvement District, September 2010, Volume 11, Issue 9, page 2.
- ^ "Alliance Accredited Institutions" (PDF). American Alliance of Museums. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
External links
- Riverside Metropolitan Museum - official site
- Museums in Riverside, California
- History museums in California
- Natural history museums in California
- Native American museums in California
- Anthropology museums in California
- Landmarks in Riverside, California
- Museums established in 1924
- 1924 establishments in California
- Renaissance Revival architecture in California