Glenwood Cottage marks 150 years

Albert S. White, a New York businessman, entered the Miller family home in Riverside, California, on November 22, 1876. He became the first paying boarder at the property, which the Millers later named the Glenwood Cottage. White arrived with pneumonia and stayed until his death in 1909. He served as a close friend and business advisor to Frank Miller.

Christopher Columbus Miller arrived in Riverside in spring 1874. He worked as a civil engineer and helped build early canals. His wife and four children joined him that fall. Miller purchased the block bounded by Seventh, Main, Sixth, and Orange streets for $250. The family began constructing their home in mid-1875. Frank Miller, then 18, recorded hauling rock for the foundation in his diary.

The family moved into the completed home by July 1876. Shortly after, daughter Emma married C.C. Miller’s partner, Gustavus O. Newman, inside the new house. The Millers opened the property to paying guests by November. Historical photographs and descriptions suggest the lower floor was adobe with three large rooms and an open fireplace. The upper floors were wood-framed and contained about a dozen rooms, including dormer windows on the third level.

C.C. Miller and Newman added a wooden wing in December 1878. This expansion included a dining room, kitchen, office, and additional bedrooms. Miller sold the property to his eldest son, Frank, in February 1880 for $5,000. Frank operated the hotel for 55 years until his death in 1935. Edward Miller drove the stagecoach that met trains in Colton and transported guests to Riverside.

Frank Miller expanded the business through the 1880s. In 1888, he hired Charles T. Rice to build a $3,500 addition. This project doubled the size of the dining room and added a ladies' parlor and larger office. Miller remained a promoter for the hotel, the local trolley, and the orange industry. He eventually decided to build a larger resort hotel.

Miller secured funding for a new building by 1902, with financial support from Henry E. Huntington. Architect Arthur Benton designed the project. Construction began in June 1902. The final meal in the Glenwood Cottage dining room occurred on May 16, 1902. The new Glenwood Mission Inn opened in January 1903. The original adobe structure remained on the property and served as an office and meeting space.

The original one-story adobe home stood until January 1948. Management demolished the building to create a swimming pool. The structure had existed for 73 years and hosted its first paying guest 72 years prior to its removal. The site remains the location of the Mission Inn in Riverside.