Mission Inn Foundation sues to prevent museum eviction 

The Mission Inn Foundation on Friday sued the Historic Mission Inn Corp. in an attempt to stop the eviction of the museum facility located within the downtown Riverside hotel and spa complex.

The museum’s 22-year lease expired at the end of last year, and state law prohibits renewing the lease, according to the California Department of Finance.

“We’re still hopeful for a positive resolution and wish to work with both the Historic Mission Inn Corporation … and the City to find a solution that works for everyone,” Mission Inn Foundation Executive Director Jarod Hoogland said in a statement Monday. 

“To that end we extended an offer this week, through the City Manager’s office, to the HMIC to resolve our differences through mediation,” the statement continued. “Sadly, this was rejected by HMIC. Since the 30-day eviction notice remains in effect, we are forced to take legal action to stop the eviction, and to explain our legal claim that the Foundation has the right to extend the lease for two ten-year periods.”

The breach-of-contract lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court seeks a court order to enforce a lease extension for the Mission Inn Museum, located within the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.

Riverside spokesman Phil Pitchford would not confirm or deny the mediation request. 

“The City has an interest in seeing this situation resolved to the benefit of both parties and is trying to help that occur,” Pitchford said via email. “We respectfully decline to comment on specifics of those interactions.”

In his statement Hoogland also emphasized “that the lease at issue isn’t just about physical space for the museum; it also includes guarantees that the Foundation can conduct Docent tours and many other public services provided by the Foundation. Without the lease, these things likely would not exist.” 

Hoogland then focused attention on what he called the “need to correct several statements that have been posted by the HMIC, including references to ‘multiple fair offers’, ‘will ensure that the tours of the Mission Inn will always continue’, ‘ensure The Mission Inn Run will continue to go on yearly’ and to clarify the length of the intended lease.  

“The final offer made by the HMIC specifically called for a 5-year lease term with no extensions,” Hoogland said, noting that “extensions” refer to protections for tours and museum access, in addition to “many other requirements including taking 25% of revenues from volunteer Docent tours. Additionally, not a single offer made by HMIC guarantees Docent tours beyond 5 years. If our connection is severed from the Mission Inn after 5 years, it would deprive the Foundation of its primary purpose and likely be the end of the organization.”

The HMIC did not respond to requests for comment.

Addressing the lease term’s time span, Hoogland said the language within the initial 1992 agreement “by which the hotel was purchased from the Riverside Redevelopment Agency specifically states that the Foundation would occupy its museum, offices and archival spaces” for 30 years with two 10-year options to extend the museum’s lease for a “nominal” $1 rent. 

A lease agreement written in 2000 incorporated the language of the 1992 lease and reiterates two additional 10-year extension periods “under the same terms and conditions as the original lease,” according to Hoogland. 

“It is clear in both documents that the intended lease is for a thirty-year initial term, with two ten-year renewal options, assigned to the Foundation,” Hoogland said.

His statement concluded with an appeal for continuing the cultural preservation that the foundation has lead for decades.

“The Foundation’s role of preserving and sharing the history of the Mission Inn is an integral part of our city’s cultural heritage community yet is complimentary to the role of the Mission Inn as a private hotel,” Hoogland said. “Our role is to tell the full story, and that includes modern experiences.” 

Hoogland referred to Mission Inn Hotel & Spa owners Duane and Kelly Roberts’ “purchase and stewardship of the Mission Inn” that is a component of tours by foundation docents. 

“We’ve curated exhibitions in their honor, and we recognize every day the value the Roberts’ stewardship brings to Riverside,” Hoogland said. “There is no doubt that the purchase of the Mission Inn by the Roberts marked a new era for Riverside. Their stewardship as ‘Keepers of the Inn’ has led the revitalization of downtown Riverside, benefitting the whole city.   

“The Mission Inn Foundation has also invested heavily in the Mission Inn, spending millions of dollars over the last 30 years on exhibitions, educational programs, community events and collections care, all to honor and promote the Mission Inn,” Hoogland continued. “We only ask that the HMIC would honor the agreement they made with the City, the Foundation and our community when the hotel was purchased and recognize the value the Foundation and our Docents bring to all of us.

“Our offer to HMIC to resolve our situation through mediation remains open, and we welcome the opportunity find a solution where everyone can win. While we work to resolve our differences, the Foundation will continue to serve our community through exhibitions, education programs, collections care and community events.”

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