The Puffer-Lamar Home, built in 1900

The style of this tall, white house on Mary Street near Victoria Avenue reflects the traditional mid-western background of its original owner, Clark Puffer.  He built the home in 1900 for his third wife, Mary.

Clark Puffer came from Nebraska where he had farmed most of his life.  In 1889, his son, Carroll, settled in Redlands, where his father and his father’s second wife joined him the following year.  In nearby Riverside, Puffer, who was then 56-years-old, purchased 20 acres of sagebrush land in Arlington Heights, a new subdivision of 10 and 20 acre parcels south of town.  Puffer planted half of his land in Washington navel orange trees.  The soil was so productive that the family was able to earn a good living from the relatively small orchard.  After his wife’s death, Clark Puffer remarried in April 1899.  Soon after, he built for his new wife, Mary, a home located on the street of the same name.

In 1909, Clark Puffer asked his other son, Jesse, and his family to move from their home in Nebraska to Riverside to help him care for his enlarged grove of nearly 20 acres of citrus.  Although Clark Puffer had built two other houses along Victoria Avenue, Jesse and his family moved into the Mary Street house, where they lived for 25 years.  After Jesse Puffer’s death in 1937, his widow sold the property to Margaret and John Lamar.

They John Lamars, however, lived there for only a short time as the house was considered too far from town.  In 1945, their son, Edward, and his wife, Jane, acquired the house.  Since that time, they have increased its size with a series of additions and remodeling projects.  They enclosed an upstairs porch and added a spacious living room.  A high-ceilinged studio followed these additions on the south side of the home for Jane Lamar’s work in artistic crafts and paintings.  Later, they built a spectacular kitchen with custom-designed stained-glass windows depicting local historic landmarks.  The Lamars were very generous in sharing their beautifully decorated home with many Riverside organizations.

The Lamars replaced the original garage structure with a combination garage and guest quarters.  In 1998, the Riverside Historical Society issued a proclamation declaring that “the house is a symbol of Riverside’s citrus heritage.”

The conical tower that covers the new wing was designed to resemble the tower of Riverside’s 1891 Heritage House.  The two houses are decidedly different, one a mansion and one an expanded farmhouse; one now a house museum and the other a family home for over a hundred years.

Riverside’s “Greenbelt”

The roots of Riverside’s Greenbelt trace back to the late 1880s, when visionary jeweler-turned-canal-builder Matthew Gage constructed the Gage Canal to deliver water to the arid benchlands above the city. To finance the venture and plant vast groves of Washington navel oranges, Gage formed the British-backed Riverside Trust Company, Ltd., subdividing thousands of acres in the Arlington Heights tract and laying the groundwork for Riverside’s legendary citrus empire. Nearly a century later, as post-war suburban growth threatened to consume this historic farmland, local residents rallied to defend Gage’s legacy. Through the landmark passage of Proposition R in 1979 and Measure C in 1987, voters enacted strict agricultural zoning and large-lot minimums, legally cementing thousands of acres as a permanent, protected greenbelt.

Today, that vision endures as a tranquil agricultural and equestrian enclave woven into the modern city. The Greenbelt is anchored by working grove properties, where rows of fragrant orange trees, heritage farmhouses, and historic irrigation networks preserve the area’s turn-of-the-century character. Alongside the orchards, the landscape has evolved into a thriving haven for horse properties equipped with classic barns, turnouts, and pastures. It is common to see residents riding horses along the dirt roads, quiet lanes, and grove edges, enjoying an unhurried, pastoral lifestyle that feels completely insulated from the surrounding inland metropolis.

Beyond its agricultural and equestrian vitality, the Greenbelt functions as an essential ecological corridor for Southern California wildlife. The continuous tree canopy and rugged, native arroyos provide sanctuary and nesting grounds for red-tailed hawks, barn owls, roadrunners, and coveys of California quail, while coyotes and bobcats routinely roam the sheltered orchard rows. What began with Matthew Gage’s ambitious canal and was saved by grassroots civic action has become an irreplaceable living landscape, where historic citrus groves, horse farms, and native wildlife continue to thrive side by side.

City of Riverside

The heart of the Inland Empire, Riverside offers an extraordinary blend of historic charm, forward-thinking economic growth, and an exceptional Southern California lifestyle that presents a compelling alternative to coastal congestion. Founded in the 1870s, Riverside became the prosperous birthplace of the California citrus industry, a heritage still visible today in its lush greenbelts, historic landmark homes as well as stunning civic architecture and of course the world-renowned Mission Inn Hotel.  Today, it is a dynamic, growing city of roughly 320,000 residents, characterized by a diverse, highly educated demographic fueled by UC Riverside, Cal Baptist University, La Sierra University and Riverside Community College. This deep talent pool has catalyzed massive economic development, transforming the city into a thriving hub for technology, healthcare, logistical innovation, and green enterprise, all supported by a business-friendly infrastructure that attracts professionals and families from across the nation.

For out-of-area buyers seeking the quintessential Southern California experience without sacrificing space or tranquility, Riverside’s deliberate urban planning stands out. Recent City Council decisions have heavily emphasized smart growth, downtown revitalization, and transit-oriented development, while simultaneously enforcing strict voter-approved conservation initiatives like Proposition R and Measure C. These unique local mandates permanently protect the city’s spectacular natural topography including its craggy granite hillsides and deep arroyos from the dense suburban sprawl seen elsewhere in the region.

Crucially for relocators, Riverside serves as the ultimate geographical anchor for Southern California exploration. It is uniquely and centrally located, putting world-class Pacific beaches, wild snow-capped mountain ranges, and globally unique desert landscapes all within about an hour’s drive. Riverside residents also enjoy easy access to three distinct metropolitan powerhouse regions, each offering its own world of activities: the cultural landmarks, entertainment industry, and culinary scenes of Los Angeles; the pristine coastal luxury, shopping, and theme parks of Orange County; and the relaxed, sun-drenched coastal vibes and historic districts of San Diego.

Nowhere is this harmonious balance between regional connectivity, premium luxury, and preserved nature more evident than in Alessandro Heights. For a discerning buyer relocating from out of state, Alessandro Heights represents the pinnacle of Riverside real estate, where grand custom estate homes are seamlessly carved into rolling hills and rugged ridgelines. Positioned between the Alessandro and Prenda Arroyos, this exclusive enclave offers panoramic, high-altitude views of the region and unmatched natural privacy. Because the surrounding canyons and native coastal sage scrub are contractually protected as vital wildlife corridors, residents enjoy a serene, estate-shielded lifestyle that feels entirely removed from the world, yet sits just minutes from a booming metropolitan center and the very best that Southern California has to offer.