On one of the few sites in central Riverside not occupied by a historic building, a new 22-unit condo building under construction pays tribute to the town’s picturesque water tower half a block away.

Riverside, the garden suburb designed by the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in 1869, comprises almost entirely houses and apartments. Village Center of Riverside is “a new alternative here, with condos the size of a house, but without all the maintenance,” says Harry Liesenfelt, whose Provencal Development Group is building the four-story project. There is at least one other condo development under way in town, a few blocks farther from the core.

The condos have coffered ceilings, fireplaces, and lots of millwork trim; some have built-in bars, arched interior doorways, and cozy fireplace areas in their living rooms. The building’s striped brickwork employs the same two colors used in the water tower’s brick arches.

Of the 14 condos still for sale, the smallest is a 1,639-square-foot two-bedroom unit for $489,000; the largest is a 4,000-square-foot three-bedroom unit on the top floor for $1.4 million. Liesenfelt plans to have all units ready for occupancy by December.

Illustration: Courtesy of Burlington Realty