The Riverside Raincross Sculpture infront of the Riverside City Hall
As the city of Riverside celebrated 50 years of City Hall, a 12-foot sculpture of the well-known Raincross symbol was installed behind the building, honoring the city’s rich history.
The Raincross symbol was gifted to the city of Riverside by Frank Miller, who designed the symbol by combining a replica of the mass bell used by Father Junipero Serra and the cross that Navajo and Central American Indians used to pray for rain. Since 1907, the symbol has been associated with Riverside, appearing in many forms throughout the city, especially in the downtown area.
“Variations of the symbol are used extensively throughout Riverside in architecture, street signs and lighting standards, and is used on the City flag,” according to the City of Riverside website.
Dedicated to enriching the downtown area with symbols such as these, Ward 1 Councilmember Phillip Falcone reached out to Rico Alderette, founder of Alderette Designs and Paradigm Ironworks, to create this piece.
“I was excited. We made so many raincrosses… but that raincross hasn’t been done, that I was aware of, especially on that scale, so we were super honored and super excited to do that,” Alderette said.
As Falcone and Alderette developed ideas and concepts to honor Riverside’s history, work officially began back in March.
“We wanted to give a nod to the original art piece that was there when the building was first built. It was the tripod,” Alderette said.
The original tripod sculpture now stands outside Fire Station 5 and continues to serve as a recognizable marker in the Riverside community, reflected in the new sculpture outside City Hall.
“The color orange is also a nod back to the original piece,” Alderette added.
As the 12-foot Raincross sculpture stands tall outside Riverside City Hall, residents are reminded of the role it plays in the city’s identity. In an interview with The Riverside Record, Falcone spoke about the significance of the anniversary and how the sculpture honors it.
“To mark that occasion is not superficial, it’s not shallow. It’s really significant, because it’s about history,” Falcone said. “It’s about remembering where we came from so we can know about who we are and how the city was shaped, and know how to go in the future.”
Tariq Khoury, long-time Riverside resident, spoke about how the sculpture honors the city and its past.
“Seeing the city embrace its history all these years later has been really interesting, especially in prominent spaces like downtown and City Hall,” Khoury said.
Alderette also reflected on the meaning behind contributing to the city.
“It means so much. I believe in everything that we do. I hope it leaves legacy, outlives us, outlives all of us,” Alderette said. “The city of Riverside, the community as a whole, has been super awesome. We’re super blessed that we can live in this city and the stuff that we do is valued and wanted.”
With its presence throughout Riverside, the Raincross symbol and sculpture did more than brand the city. It recognized the city’s history by highlighting the past, present and future of Riverside’s identity.
