Riverside Metropolitan Museum
Heritage House
8193 Magnolia Avenue
Riverside, CA 92504
(951) 826-5273 (RMM)
Heritage House & Gift Shop Hours
Open September from the 1st weekend after labor day
to June. (Closed July and August.)
Friday - Sunday: 11:30 a.m. - 4:00 pm
Closed Monday - Thursday & Major Holidays.
Open for special events.
PLEASE ARRIVE 45 MINUTES BEFOFE CLOSING
Admission: Free. Suggested Donation $5.
Parking
On-site parking is available in the lot behind the House. The lot
can be accessed by using the house's driveway located to the
their right of the house. If the lot is full, please
use the street parking available on Magnolia Avenue.
Wheelchair Access
Limited handicap parking is available in the House Parking
Lot. An onsite employee or volunteer will assist in
accessing the wheelchair lift located on the side of the
house. The first floor can be accessed using the lift;
however, the second floor is only accessible via the
staircase.
Room Rentals/Reservations
The Heritage House does not host weddings or
non-departmental events.
School and Group Programs
Please make reservations at least three weeks in advance. To
make a reservation, please call Museum Tours at (951)
826-5114 or contact her by email:
museumtours@riversideca.gov.
About Heritage House
Owned by the Riverside Metropolitan Museum, this 1891 Victorian showplace depicts life in turn-of-the century Riverside. An elegant reminder of the affluent homes which once graced Magnolia Avenue, Heritage House began as a project of the Riverside Museum Associates, a volunteer support group of the Riverside Metropolitan Museum. 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 Bazar magazine, young couples of moderate means could expect to spend between $5000 and $10,000 in the construction of a house, excluding the cost of a lot. Restoration and development have always reflected the interpretation of such statistics into a local household.
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 more than $200,000 adjusted to today's values.
