Museum of Riverside
Heritage House
8193 Magnolia Avenue
Riverside, CA 92504
(951) 826-5273 (Museum of Riverside)
Heritage House & Gift Shop Hours
Heritage House is closed for
improvements to the walkways!
Reopening may occur in late October. Please check this
webpage before planning your visit.
The house is normally open from the first weekend after Labor Day through
the last full weekend in June. Closed in July and
August. Reservations required.
Book your tour now!
Friday –
Sunday: Open at 12:00 noon
Last tour at 3:15 p.m.
Closed Monday through Thursday.
Open for special events.
COVID 19: The City of Riverside advises the public to
wear a mask indoors at city facilities and on city
property when social distancing is not possible, regardless of vaccination status. These rules are subject to
change.
Events at Heritage
House
Admission: Free. A suggested donation $5
supports care of the house.
Parking
On-site parking is available in the lot behind the
house. The driveway to the lot
is located to the
right (north) of the house. If the lot is full, please
use street parking available on Magnolia Avenue.
ADA Access
Limited accessible parking is available in the house parking
lot. An onsite employee or volunteer will assist in
using the wheelchair lift located on the side of the
rear entrance to the house. Only the first floor can be accessed using the lift.
The second floor is accessible only via the
staircase.
Room Rentals/Reservations
The Heritage House does not
currently host weddings or other rental events.
School and Group Programs
Please make reservations at least three weeks in advance. To
make a reservation, please call Museum Tours at (951)
826-5273 or contact us by email:
[email protected].
About Heritage House
Owned by the Museum of Riverside, this elegant 1891 Victorian home imagines life in turn-of-the-20th-century Riverside. It's a reminder of the affluent homes that once graced Magnolia Avenue. Heritage House began as a project of the Riverside Museum Associates, a volunteer support group of the Museum of Riverside. Restored and maintained in a manner reflective of its nineteenth-century construction, this grand house is now a meticulously researched example of historic tastes, values, and lifestyle. Mr. and Mrs. James Bettner settled in Riverside in the late 1870s, within a decade of the young town's founding.
A Place - A Time . . .
According to an 1895 article in Harper’s Bazaar magazine, young couples of moderate means could expect to spend between $5,000 and $10,000 in the construction of a house, excluding the cost of a lot. The Bradstreet Index, in 1895, recognized Riverside as enjoying the highest per capita income in the United States. Citizens were indeed prosperous, thanks largely to citrus horticulture, but they were not millionaires. Catharine Bettner's net worth in 1892, for instance, was $18,755, or about $610,405 adjusted to 2022 values.
