Mark
Finalist: Best Multifamily Repositioning/Redevelopment/Adaptive Reuse
Location: Riverside, CA
Award Applicant: AO
Architect: AO
Developer: Regional Properties
General Contractor: Crane Development Corporation
Interior Designer: Catalina Design Group
Photographer: Bailey Made
Project Website: markriverside.com
Project Statement
Where Market Street and Mission Inn Avenue meet is arguably the most prominent intersection in downtown Riverside and where the landmark Fox Theater has stood for nearly a decade. Emboldening this historic corner is a new modern landmark, Mark, a seven-story mixed-use apartment building, occupying a square block bounded by Sixth, Market, Mission Inn and an alley.
One of the tallest buildings in the area, Mark has three levels of underground parking, 20,000 square feet at ground level for shops, restaurants and offices, and six stories above with 165 apartments. The building is also of important historical significance for the city of Riverside.
Formerly known as the Stalder building, the site once hosted the city’s first fire station, a livery stable, auto garage and auto dealership, which evolved over the course of 120 years. In 1926, the three separate facades were unified by renowned Architect G. Stanley Wilson in a striking Mission Revival interpretation. The latest design iteration of Mark has honored the site’s important past by restoring Wilson’s historic facade and marrying the ornate architecture with a contemporary design that showcases and celebrates the historic frontage.
In addition to paying homage to the Stalder building’s important past, another key goal of the development was to realize a new urban downtown vision for the city of Riverside. The project achieves this through exciting new uses programmed throughout the development, and implementation of urban blocking and design principles to create an inviting, vibrant and walkable location.
The streetscape has been activated with shops and cafes to attract locals and visitors, and the pedestrian experience has been elevated through the use of textured materials, pilaster colonnades, and awnings, as well as signage and verdant landscape that add richness to the urban experience.
