Talk:Frank Augustus Miller

Frank Augustus Miller

The following is an article about Frank Miller who was responsible for building The Mission Inn in Riverside CA in 1903. Arthur Benton was the architect. It was completly renovated in the 1980's and stands today as a very distinguished modelf of Missiomn Style architecture that can be enjoyed today.

FRANK A. MILLER

MYTHS, MISSION INN AND THE MAKING OF RIVERSIDE

IN THE NEWLY RENOVATED HISTORY GALLERY

The Museum’s new exhibit "Frank A. Miller: Myths, the Mission Inn and the Making of Riverside" which inaugurates the renovated history gallery, celebrates the man Frank Augustus Miller and some of his accomplishments, triumphs and contributions to the city and people of Riverside. This exhibition also commemorates the centenary of Frank A. Miller’s world famous Mission Inn.

Research, design and production of the exhibition and gallery were the joint efforts of a Museum production team, which included Dasia Bytnerowicz, Gary Ecker, Brenda Focht, Kevin Hallaran, Vince Moses and Marvin Powell. The following text from the exhibition highlights the life of Frank Miller.

Setting Introduction Collector Community Builder Internationalist Myths & Symbols

Riverside, 1874-1935

On a "desiloate plain . . . River Side is a place of about 50 familys covering ground 6 miles around. Has 1 drugstore, 1 Dry Good Store, 1 meat market, 1 black smith shop. To be continued." 17-year old Frank Miller upon his arrival in 1874 recorded this first impression of Riverside. For the next sixty years Miller would spend those years striving to uplift his adopted city from its dusty origins to become California’s "City Beautiful."

Frank Augustus Miller [1857-1935] was born in Wisconsin to Christopher Columbus ["C. C."] Miller and Mary Clark Miller. In 1874, the family moved to Riverside, California. C. C. Miller acquired a lot in the center of town and began building a home. By 1876, the 12-room adobe building had been converted to a hotel called The Glenwood Tavern.

Frank Miller bought The Glenwood Tavern from his father. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s he made improvements to the hotel, but remained unsatisfied. Then, with the financial help of railroad magnate, Henry E. Huntington, Frank hired architect Arthur Benton to design a new hotel. The new hotel, "The Mission Inn" opened in 1903.

Over the next three decades, Miller fine-tuned the structure into the architectural wonder of today. Four more wings were added, all reflective of Miller’s eclectic taste and growing interest in the world around him.

Riverside Visionary

Frank Augustus Miller brought to Riverside the vision, dedication and commitment necessary to transform a citrus-based community into an international destination. From the late 19th century until his death in 1935, he shaped Riverside’s social, economic and cultural environment. As an entrepreneur Miller established many successful business ventures and social and cultural opportunities in Riverside. At Miller’s urging the City built the Loring Opera House, named after Minneapolis businessman and Riverside winter resident Charles M. Loring. On this stage, Riversiders watched opera diva Marcella Craft and the first public showing of the film "Birth of a Nation."

Frank Miller also influenced local architecture. His battle to have the Riverside County Court House built in the Mission style was one of the few campaigns he lost. Nevertheless local leaders did recognize the value of a unified civic image and Spanish and Mission style architecture became more prevalent as structures like Old City Hall, Municipal Auditorium, First Congregational Church, Carnegie Library and Sherman Institute were built. His extended concern for community well being is illustrated by the underground heating system whereby the Mission Inn provided heat to the First Congregational Church, City Hall, the Post Office and Carnegie Library.

Collector

Frank A. Miller’s collections developed from an interest in regional Native American basketry and expanded nationally and internationally into other forms of art and cultural objects. In conjunction with the American Arts and Crafts Movement, baskets had become popular collectibles. Miller’s baskets date from this period, and his collection represents an eclectic mix of pieces from California and the American southwest. As was the style of the time, he used some of them to decorate the Glenwood Tea Room and other areas of the Mission Inn.

As Miller traveled to Europe, Asia, and around the United States treasures were found that were shipped home to the Mission Inn. As the collections grew, so too did the Mission Inn. When the last wing of the hotel, the five-story International Rotunda, was completed in 1932 it had only ten guest rooms. Yet, the wing also included the Galeria, the Court of the Orient, and the St. Francis Chapel—all designed to showcase Miller’s significant and culturally diverse collection. Frank Miller was also a practical man who catered to the desires of his guests, and except for personal favorites, virtually every object, artifact, and artwork had a price tag attached to it.

Miller’s collections provided him with cultural materials, which he utilized in his creation of myths and symbols associated with the Mission Inn and Riverside. He combined Native American and Roman Catholic symbols and transformed them into commercial products.

Community Builder

As a concerned citizen he was connected to many local, national and international leaders like President Theodore Roosevelt, social activist and crusading journalist Jacob Riis and prominent African-American social activist and educator Booker T. Washington. These men were part of Progressive Era movements for social justice in the United States. Miller had strong ties with several leading businessmen in Southern California including railroad tycoon Henry E. Huntington who also helped shape the region’s prosperity. These important individuals were also visitors to Riverside and the Mission Inn.

Riversiders also benefited from Miller’s support of the arts and leisure activities. Carrie Jacobs Bond performed and composed the song "End of a Perfect Day" at the Inn. Playwright John McGroarty wrote "The Mission Play" while staying there. Polo was an important sport in Riverside and was played by the City’s economic elite. Miller’s "Mission Inn Challenge Cup" was awarded for polo competitions in 1915 and 1916.

Internationalist

Many both at home and abroad recognized Frank Miller’s efforts in the cause of peaceful international relations. In 1911, he sponsored the first Conference for Peace and Arbitration at the Mission Inn. In the 1920s, these peace conferences became annual events when he and Rufus von KleinSmid, president of the University of Southern California, founded the Institute of International Relations (known today as the World Affairs Council). As thanks for his efforts, the people of Riverside built the Frank Miller Peace Tower and Friendship Bridge on Mt. Rubidoux "in recognition of his constant labor in the promotion of civic beauty, community righteousness, and world peace." [Memorial Plaque, Mt. Rubidoux] By thinking globally and acting locally he succeeded in connecting Riverside to the rest of the world. The international symbols incorporated into the structure of the Mission Inn rotunda contributed to the validation of the symbols and myths Frank Miller created.

Frank Miller’s own architectural tribute to peaceful international relations was his last major addition to the Mission Inn. With local architect G. Stanley Wilson, Miller designed and built the International Rotunda Wing between 1929 and 1931. The wing was a combination of architectural styles reflecting both Asian and European influences. Its five-story spiral stairwell featured colored tiles of various national shields, while niches were filled with statues of the patron saints of different nations. The Mission Inn with its local, national and international symbols represents Frank Augustus Miller’s life long dream and pursuit of union of all peoples of the world.

Jacob Riis suggested that Miller organize an Easter sunrise pilgrimage and service at the top of Mt. Rubidoux to bring the community together as a testament to the non-denominational religious faith of Riverside and a step toward world unity. In 1909, Miller introduced an Easter sunrise pilgrimage with a group of one hundred citizens participating in the service at the summit of Mt. Rubidoux.

Myths and Symbols

Frank Miller manipulated a variety of cultural artifacts and historical symbols to enhance the image of Riverside. Throughout his life from his childhood in Wisconsin to adulthood in the southwest Frank Miller interacted with Native Americans and was exposed to their cultures. Miller learned some of their cultural traditions including myths and symbols and this knowledge and these experiences were incorporated into the myths he created. He emphasized the region’s Spanish and Mexican heritage, which had formerly been ignored. Miller was unique in time and place as he fused elements from two distinct cultural traditions to produce objects that reflected both cultures yet were original.

The Riverside Raincross is an example of his creative genius. In the Raincross, Miller acknowledged California’s Spanish Mission system and the Native Americans who built, labored, worshipped, lived and died on the missions. While the bell may be considered as an accurate icon for the mission system, the Raincross [double armed cross] as a symbol of Native American heritage is more questionable and perhaps simply one of the myths Frank Miller promoted. His development of the Raincross and its adoption as the City’s official symbol reflects his creative manipulation of objects and concepts.

Myth and symbol blend together in the creations of Frank Miller. Riverside’s Raincross symbol and the Mission Inn were his legacy to the future. By his many accomplishments, Miller shaped Riverside’s identity and charted its destiny. Frank Miller had a vision, which he achieved. His thoughts and actions contributed to the development of this community and continue to the present day.

"When you put thought and sentiment into a thing and make it really characteristic, then only do you have the right to call it a success."

Frank Augustus Miller

Brenda Focht, Museum Curator Collections

Kevin Hallaran, Archivist

Marvin Powell, Historical Resources Assistant