A Spanish Explorer Frozen in Stone at Newman Park
You'll find the De Anza Statue standing at the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and 14th Street in downtown Riverside, a bronze likeness of Don Juan Bautista de Anza, the first European known to visit this region. The statue, completed in 1940 by sculptor Sherry Peticolas and designer Dorr Bothwell, depicts the Spanish explorer who passed through the area in 1774 and again in 1775–76, searching for an overland route from Sonora, Mexico to San Francisco Bay. The statue lives behind a locked gate at Newman Park, but you can view it clearly from the sidewalk—a tangible reminder that this corner of California has deeper roots than most residents realize.
What You See and Do at Newman Park
The monument comprises not just the statue itself but also a stone wall relief that illustrates de Anza's expeditions. The work was funded by the federal Works Projects Administration during the Great Depression, making it both a historical marker and a product of 1930s-era public art patronage. The model for the statue was Ed J. Loustanau, a descendant of de Anza's brother—a detail that grounds this public art in genealogical fact. While you cannot enter the gated enclosure, the statue's placement at street level means you can study its form and the narrative relief from the sidewalk, and the marker itself provides historical context about de Anza's journeys.
Best Time to Visit and What Comes Close By
Since the statue is accessible from the street at any hour, you can visit dawn to dusk without restriction. The downtown location puts you within walking distance of other cultural institutions: the Riverside Metropolitan Museum and Riverside Art Museum are just a few blocks away on Mission Inn Avenue, and the Mission Inn Museum sits nearby on Main Street. If you're interested in how Riverside's history extends further back, the statue connects to the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, and at least eight other historical markers lie within walking distance in downtown. The Original Navel Orange Tree, another local landmark tied to Riverside's agricultural legacy, stands at the traffic island corner of Magnolia and Arlington Avenues—close enough to combine with a visit to the De Anza Statue in a single downtown walk.
Plan your visit to downtown Riverside with the De Anza Statue as one waypoint in a larger exploration of the city's early colonial and cultural heritage. The statue's modest but resolute presence invites you to consider the routes and ambitions that shaped California's interior long before the freeways.