The Cheech, Riverside, Calif.
RETROFIT TEAM
ARCHITECT: Page & Turnbull
- John Lesak, AIA, FAPT, LEED AP, principal
- Elisa Hernandez Skaggs, AIA, project manager
- James Mallery, AIA, project architect
DESIGN ARCHITECT: WHY
- Kulapat Yantrasast, principal
- Paulina Bouyer-Magña, project manager
LIGHTING DESIGNER: HLB
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Hamel Contracting Inc.
CIVIL ENGINEER: Epic Engineers
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Structural Focus
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: Design West
MATERIALS
A 1964 New Formalist library, designed by Moise, Harbach and Hewlett, has been transformed into a modern museum and cultural center while preserving the historic and vintage aspects of the original building, such as the exposed brick walls, stainless-steel framework and aluminum stair railings with restored decorative polyester panels.
“Interventions are thoughtfully integrated to celebrate the building’s historic character and its transformation to a world-class art center,” says Page & Turnbull Principal Architect John Lesak. “It’s an inspiring idea and a model for other cities and cultural groups to revive underused architectural gems.”
One of the most striking features of the space is the visual connection between the galleries, which are centered around a permanent installation of a 26-foot-tall lenticular piece by brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre. The installation, which changes as the viewer moves from side to side, is designed to generate a central source of energy for The Cheech, encouraging visitors to explore the different galleries above and below. Accessed by a restored mid-century stairway,
the second-floor features exhibition art galleries, a multipurpose space, film screening room, staff offices, and an artist-in-residency studio/education center where visitors can witness the next generation of Chicano art as it emerges.
The following is a sampling of materials used in the project:
VESTIBULE STOREFRONT: Kawneer
TRACK LIGHTING: Targetti
ENTRANCE TOPPING SLAB: ARDEX
INTERIOR BRICK SEALANT: Prosoco
FLOORING AT ELEVATOR AND STAIRS, FINISH ON MILLWORK: Marmoleum from Forbo
RT HANGING TRACK: Takiya
CEILING ACOUSTICAL TREATMENT: Acoustement by PYROK
THE RETROFIT
The Cheech is the result of a public-private partnership between the Riverside Art Museum (RAM); city of Riverside; and Cheech Marin, who has spent the last 40 years collecting the work of notable Chicano artists, like Carlos Almaraz, Margaret Garcia, Wayne Alaniz Healy, Judithe Hernández, Frank Romero and Patssi Valdez.
Marin’s collection was part of a RAM traveling exhibition in 2017, and he liked what he saw. When the time came to find a permanent home for his collection, along with other pieces of art that deserve to be seen, RAM and Riverside’s city leaders rose to the occasion. To start, the city offered the 61,420-square-foot, 2-story former Riverside Public Library to house the facility. RAM then leveraged its 60-plus years of experience as a cultural arts institution to run the center and work with the community to raise the millions of dollars necessary to renovate the building.
“My motto has always been that you can’t love or hate Chicano art unless you see it,” Marin said during the dedication ceremony. “And now people will have a place to always see it. This is such a happy and humbling moment for me.”
PHOTOS: Riverside Art Museum