Built in 1906 the First Christian Church was the last built of the three original church buildings in Rialto. The other two (both now gone) were the First Methodist Church and the Congregational Church. When the congregation moved to a new location in 1964, Dr. Merlin Hendrickson bought the church to save it from destruction. He donated it to the Rialto Historical Society in 1972 and asked that it be named the Kristina Dana Hendrickson Cultural Center for his 11 year old daughter that died of Leukemia. The property is now owned by the City of Rialto and operated by the Rialto Historical Society.
The Rialto Historical Society’s headquarters and museum are located in a former church school building next door to the Old First Christian Church, now known as The Kristina Dana Hendrickson Cultural Center, on the corner of Riverside Avenue and 2nd Street.
The museum features displays depicting a delightful turn of the century home, a citrus exhibit and packing house office, military display with medals and uniforms, and an early 20th century doctor’s office with a display of medical instruments. There is also a collection of paintings by Jean Adams, an aerial view of historic Rialto, a library of genealogical information and a series of maps tracing the growth of Rialto from 1892 to 1929.
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