AO’s Mark in Riverside

By Luke Carothers

Once home to Riverside’s first fire station, a livery stable, and an automobile dealership, a historic structure is being reimagined and incorporated into a seven-story mixed-use podium project with 22,000 square-feet of retail space and 165 apartment units.  Known as Mark, this redevelopment project utilizes the 1926 Mission Revival facade to pay homage to the neighborhood’s unique context. Mark is named in honor of accomplished local developer Mark Rubin, who was extensively involved in the project through design and development until his passing in 2021.  The structure’s unifying facade was commissioned by the city in 1926 and features a number of intricate and defining details such as a scalloped parapet, arched windows, terra cotta urns, and small cartouches. 

Michael Heinrich, Principal at AO, notes that the preservation of  Mark’s facade required working with the historic commission for the city of Riverside, who advised the team on how the project should be designed in relation to the facade.  Working with the consultants from the city’s historical commission and the project’s landscape architect, Heinrich and his team began developing a design strategy for the structure.  During construction, the historic facade was supported by a heavy steel frame.

Within the realm of the site’s historical context, the structure’s design also had to account for its position adjacent to the historic Fox Theatre.  Heinrich points out that, to keep the area’s historical design, it was critical that Mark would not interfere with views of the Fox Theatre’s famous Spanish Art Deco tower.  This meant that, on the side of the building adjacent to the Fox Theater, the design would have to be kept low while additional stories were added to the opposite side.  According to Heinrich, this change in the design presented an opportunity to further improve the concept by “making a courtyard from the step back and [using] the massing of the courtyard to reflect the massing of the original three buildings behind the facade.” Furthermore, Heinrich points out that this step back created further additions such as a pool deck behind the facade.

The effect of this design change is meant to evoke the original design of the space, and, in doing so, blend the new structure within the historical context of the neighborhood.   Elements such as cartouches and a scalloped facade create a direct architectural reference to what was there before.  Heinrich describes the process of designing the structure–particularly as it pertains to its historical context–as “collaborative and synergistic.”  Through this organic redesign process, Heinrich and the team at AO were able to create a structure that contains spaces such as an outdoor theater and rooftop viewing deck.

Working with the project’s landscape architect, the team at AO created outdoor spaces that take particular advantage of the site’s views–including the Fox Theater and Riverside Inn.  On the other side of the building, the structure features a projecting glass-floored balcony, which allows people to stand over the space below and look down at the neighborhood below.  Heinrich points out that these elements allow the structure to “blend in with the urban fabric” and allow for unique experiences in a unique neighborhood.  This collaborative design process also extended to AO’s work with the project’s interior designers.  Heinrich says this process involved exchanging design ideas pertaining to the building’s lobby and common areas.  The goal was to design these spaces in a way that reflect the compositional ideas used in the facade.  This included elements like display shelving that incorporates some of the urns that decorated the building’s original facade.

Development for Mark lasted nearly a decade, but the structure was completed in the Spring of 2023.  Now completed, Mark is serving as an important catalyst for the urban revitalization of downtown Riverside.  Its status as a catalyst is supported through the design emphasis on urban blocking, active streetscapes, and the pedestrian experience.