Duane Roberts Day, Mission Inn Owner Dies
RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The Riverside County Board of Supervisors declared Tuesday Duane Roberts Day on what would have been the 89th birthday of the man who saved the Mission Inn from demolition.
“There was a time when this cherished landmark faced an uncertain future — until one man, Duane Roberts, stepped forward,” Supervisor Jose Medina wrote on social media Sunday, one day after Roberts’ death.
“With vision, courage, and a deep love for our community, he took on the monumental task of restoring the Mission Inn, reviving its beauty, and welcoming the world to experience its magic once more.”
Medina was married at the Mission Inn, as was President Richard M. Nixon. He authored the motion proclaiming Tuesday as Duane Roberts Day.
Medina called Roberts “a steward of history and a believer in the Inland Empire’s potential.”
A statement from the hotel called Roberts “a visionary, an innovator and a philanthropist whose belief in Riverside’s history, people, and future helped shape our community for generations.”
Roberts “passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, November 1, surrounded by family and our three beloved dogs, just days shy of his 89th birthday,” his wife Kelly said in a statement.
“I feel so blessed to have shared 35 wonderful years of marriage with Duane,” Kelly Roberts said in the statement.
“Together, we built a beautiful life working side by side, sharing in the joy, purpose, and love that defined our journey together. He was the most incredible husband and stepfather to Doug and Casey, and a loving grandfather whose wisdom and warmth touched every generation of our family. We had a special love for one another, and I will forever miss him.”
Kelly Roberts is the vice chairman and chief operating officer of what is officially known as The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.
Duane Roberts was a Riverside native and Laguna Beach resident and who made his first millions by creating frozen burritos.
The Riverside Redevelopment Agency, which purchased the Inn in 1976, sold it in 1985 to the Carley Capital Group, which began a major renovation of the historic hotel before going bankrupt in 1988.
Chemical Bank and the redevelopment agency completed a more than $50 million restoration. Roberts purchased the inn — which had been closed since 1985 — from them in late 1992, according to The Press-Enterprise.
The Mission Inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1971, and designated as a National Historic Landmark on May 5, 1977.
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