Look straight across the street at that sprawling white stucco building, anchored by its classic red tile roof and a distinctive, multi-tiered tower rising right over the corner entrance. Sometimes the most defining moments of a city's identity happen completely behind closed doors, hidden away from the world until the exact right second. This magnificent theater is a living monument to that kind of secret history. Built in 1929, the Fox Performing Arts Center was perfectly designed to match the city's Spanish Colonial Revival style, a look that mimics the rustic beauty of early Spanish missions. But the architects had a brilliant trick up their sleeve. Patrons walking through those traditional doors were suddenly hit with a lavish Art Deco interior, a wildly modern style packed with sleek, geometric shapes and exotic Hollywood glamour that was the absolute height of luxury.
Because Riverside perfectly represented the demographics of everyday America, big studios used this theater as their ultimate testing ground. When a special sign lit up out front, locals knew a secret preview was happening, drawing legends like Judy Garland and Bing Crosby to secretly gauge the crowd. But the most legendary secret of all happened on September 9, 1939. Producer David O. Selznick drove out here with a highly guarded rough cut of his newest film. That night, after the main feature ended, the manager told the audience they could leave, or they could stay for a surprise preview on one absolute condition... they would be locked inside, and no phone calls were allowed. When the title card for Gone With the Wind hit the screen, the audience completely lost their minds. People literally stood on their seats yelling with joy, giving Selznick what he later called the greatest moment of his life. What an incredible way to accidentally witness cinema history.
That incredible high met a harsh reality during World War Two. The manager let exhausted soldiers sleep right on the thick lobby carpets, and eventually, the soaring main auditorium was physically walled off and divided to create a smaller, second theater in the back. By the late 1970s, the grand main room showed Spanish language films while the partitioned back section became an adult theater, before economic pressures forced the whole place to shut down. Left empty, the historic building was tragically stripped by vandals. But Riverside locals refused to let this cultural cornerstone fade away. Driven by sheer willpower, the city launched a massive 35 million dollar renovation. They tore down the dividing walls, miraculously stitching the space back together into a single, grand auditorium with over a thousand seats that triumphantly reopened in 2010. The app has a neat side by side showing what this place looked like back in 1978 compared to today... it is quite a transformation. This theater survived because individuals had the unyielding vision to reclaim it from the brink. We are going to see that same kind of relentless ambition next, as we head toward a monumental church driven by a powerful local figure. That is the First Congregational Church of Riverside, just a six minute walk away. And just so you know, the Fox Theater is completely closed on Saturdays through Tuesdays, but the doors are usually open Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 4 PM.
