LORING
BUILDING
Riverside,
California
1993
The renovation of the Loring Building, the oldest structure on Main Street in downtown Riverside, CA., included a new three story atrium, a curved wall for seismic bracing and open floor space for offices. The building was designed by A.C. Willard in 1890 in the Richardson Romanesque style. In 1918, G. Stanley Wilson remodeled the building, giving it a more restrained, mission style façade. By the time Miller Pollin was hired to renovate the building, the interior was in disrepair and needed seismic reinforcing and an attractive interior to entice tenants.
Though there was little left of the interior finishings, an antique birdcage elevator survived and Miller Pollin created an interior atrium space to feature it. An open, steel staircase followed the curved seismic wall providing access to new tenants’ offices. The elevator became a central feature in this communal space. The steel filigree of the elevator screens and accordion doors is echoed in the skylight that was added.
7’ tall wall sconces were inspired by the bird of paradise, a dramatic flower common in California. These are composed of copper, molded glass and neon tubing. Like a sculptural relief, these fixtures are an assemblage of parts, the striated teal glass of one half, contrasting with the slivered arc on the other.