{"nrhp_refnum":"80000834","name":"Simon's, M. H., Undertaking Chapel","other_names":["Simon's Mortuary"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3610 11th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Riverside","county":"Riverside County","state":"CA","lat":33.97868677800005,"lon":-117.37555386799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-06-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A mortuary building at 3610 Eleventh Street in Riverside, California, designed by architect G. Stanley Wilson from plans dated November 22, 1924, and built in 1925 for undertaker Melvin H. Simon.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a fine example of Mission Revival architecture by G. Stanley Wilson, one of Riverside's most important architects. It reflects the city's citrus-based prosperity of the 1920s and growing appreciation of its Hispanic past. Its U-shaped plan and craftsmanship were praised as both efficient and beautiful.","narrative":"Built in 1925 at 3610 Eleventh Street in Riverside, this mortuary was designed by architect G. Stanley Wilson for undertaker Melvin H. Simon, a civic leader who began his Riverside business in 1911. Plans dated November 1924 first showed a Romanesque design, but the building was completed in a simpler Mission Revival style. Reinforced cast concrete walls, redwood beams and an Escalona tile roof form a U-shaped plan around a front courtyard, with an arched cloister, wrought-iron balconies and lamps, a large chapel with heavy ceiling trusses, and a mural of the Good Shepherd. The design was valued for its efficient arrangement of rooms and its craftsmanship. It reflects Riverside's citrus-driven boom of the 1920s and a growing taste for Spanish-influenced architecture. The Simon family owned it until 1966, and Riverside County bought it in 1973. Its listing recognizes its architectural merit, though the county has planned to replace it with parking.","period_of_significance":"1924-1966","architect_builder":"Architect G. Stanley Wilson; Builder Waldman","architectural_style":"Mission Revival (originally planned as Romanesque)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by Riverside County, which bought it in 1973; until recently used as a probation center for youthful offenders. Described as unaltered inside and out and in excellent condition. The County intends to demolish it for a parking lot.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.425919-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/80000834.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000834/b2e0d8457c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000834/b2e0d8457c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"3Kathleen3","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M._H._Simon%27s_Undertaking_Chapel,_front.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">3Kathleen3</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M._H._Simon%27s_Undertaking_Chapel,_front.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860517","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133440785"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/riverside-county/simons-m-h-undertaking-chapel-80000834/"}