1976: The Fight To Save Their Home, The Mission Inn

3649 Mission Inn Avenue,Riverside CA 92501

28 July, 2022

Description

This is a free public programming event by the Mission Inn Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization. July 28, 6PM Mission Inn Hotel - Specific room will be posted on event board in lobby Nearly fifty years ago, the Mission Inn, iconic landmark of Riverside, was under threat of demolition. In a series of failed attempts to keep the Inn profitable, the property had been used as a mixed purpose space, including resident housing. Our guests, Rex Jackson and Nancy Jones, were the last two residents to call the Mission Inn home. Their fight against the threat of eviction helped delay the impending destruction of the hotel, buying time for a citizens group and the City of Riverside to step in and save the Mission Inn. In 1976, the Redevelopment Agency purchased the property and the Mission Inn Foundation was formed to manage the newly acquired hotel. Both Rex and Nancy were born and raised in Riverside and still live locally. After graduating Rubidoux High School, Rex played professional baseball for the Cincinnati Reds minor league system, graduated from Cal Poly Pomona, served as financial advisor for Merrill Lynch and ultimately started his own financial planning firm that operates to this day in Redlands. Nancy graduated from Poly High School, and having earned her BA from Cal State Fullerton and MA from Azuza Pacific University, taught for forty years at Rubidoux High School. Join us Thursday, July 28 at 6PM as we chat with Rex & Nancy about their experiences living in the Mission Inn and their fight to save their home and Riverside landmark.