Victoria Avenue Historic Restoration Project

Victoria Avenue Historic Restoration Project. . When Dr. Dan Hays and his wife Dr. Esther Hays moved back to Riverside, he found that utility wires marred the skyline of Victoria Avenue. Dr. Hays started his quest to restore Victoria Avenue to its former elegance as a classic Victorian landscape by personally approaching influential citizens and groups for support of an effort to underground the utility wires. In 1998, a volunteer group called Victoria Avenue Without Wires was formed and the name was later (2000) changed to Victoria Avenue Historic Restoration Project (VAHIRP) to reflect expanded goals. Dr. Hays was successful in having the Avenue added to the - National Park Service National Register of Historic Places in October 2000. , Through the efforts of VAHRP, several sections of Victoria Avenue wires were undergrounded. In September 2012, a final check for $1,322,801 was presented to Riverside Public Utilities by Dr. Esther Hays and Jonathan Hays to underground the utilities between Maude Street and Washington Street. There are two remaining sections of Victoria Avenue that still have overhead utilities: Jefferson Street to Washington Street and Maude Street to Central Avenue with estimated costs of $2,200,000 and $3,750,000.