The story of the internationally famous Mission Inn Hotel, and its predecessor, has been intertwined with the city of Riverside s history since both began. As the slogan once said, Riverside is a City with a Mission Inn its Heart. For more than a century, the Mission Inn and its eclectic collections have intrigued visitors, artisans, architects, and dignitaries who have come to Riverside for a myriad of reasons. The Mission Inn, founded by colorful entrepreneur Frank Miller, was integral to the city s turn-of-the-20th-century tourism as wealthy Easterners flocked to Riverside and its famous hotel, lured by a Mediterranean climate, investment opportunities, and vast navel orange groves. Unlike other grand hotels of the time, the Mission Inn, with its Mission style architecture, was a luxury hotel that was uniquely Californian."