Ranch & Coast Magazine

e community was heavily marketed in the East and Midwest as "e Endless Miracle of California: e World's Most Distinctive Development" in promotional films, periodicals, and brochures. It was conceived as a community of "gentleman ranchers," with gracious homes on large lots, including citrus groves and riding trails. Water from the newly built Lake Hodges would provide plenty of irrigation. Previously, millions of eucalyptus trees had been planted in the area to provide a ready source of railroad ties, but the wood proved to be unsuitable for various reasons, and could be found cheaper elsewhere, so it was on to "Plan B." Rice set to work, designing the Civic Center along Paseo Delicias, the two-block stretch of commercial buildings, offices, row houses, apartments, a school, and even a gas station that resembled a wishing well. e first structure, completed in 1922 on a slight rise overlooking Paseo Delicias, was a guest house for prospective buyers, and later, vacationers, residents, and movie stars including Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford, whose Rancho Zorro was nearby. Called La Morada, Spanish for "dwelling," it was later renamed e Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, and remains the center of community. During her relatively short 16-year career — she died of ovarian cancer in 1938 at the age of 49 — Rice was prolific, designing 100 buildings and homes in San Diego, 60 of them in Rancho Santa Fe. She popularized an "eclectic Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture," says Diane Y. Welch, Rice's official biographer, who spent five years researching the architect and writing two books about her life and work. "All of her buildings shared a simple aesthetic: ey complemented rather than eclipsed their natural surroundings and used natural materials found locally," Welch says. "at was the absolute key to Lilian Rice's philosophy and design work, because, why mess with nature by creating something to dominate the landscape? She wanted her buildings to meld, to be in harmony with the landscape." Rice also promoted indoor-outdoor living, added vibrant plantings, and incorporated Spanish architectural touches from her travels abroad. Twelve of Rice's buildings in Rancho Santa Fe are on the National Register of Historic Places including the Christiancy House, built for a Rancho Santa Fe resident and New York financier on a promontory with a 170-degree view of the village. Steve Black, a local resident and developer, purchased the home in 1996 and "put a lot of love and care" into a two- year restoration of the property. Rice also took on the rehabilitation of an aging 1830s- era adobe (known as Osuna 1) once owned by Juan Maria Osuna, San Diego's first mayor, which has since been purchased by the Rancho Santa Fe Association to preserve its history. e register additionally lists the original Santa Fe Land Improvement Company office, row houses along Paseo Delicias, the Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center, and the La Flecha House, home to the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society. It was Peggy Brooks, then the society's vice president, who conceived of a statue in Rice's honor. Brooks once lived in a Rice home and has long been an admirer of the architect. "I think it was long overdue to honor her," says Brooks. "She's made a significant mark on our community." Brooks shared her idea with Jenny Freeborn, a longtime Rancho Santa Fe resident who had also lived in a Rice home. "Her simplicity of design was very easy to live with, but there was a graciousness about it," Freeborn recalls. "And there was a flow. You could go from almost any room to the outside. It was wonderful for entertaining and raising HISTORIC LILIAN: PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER/JOURNAL IMAGE - TITLE INSURANCE AND TRUST COLLECTION Rice in the driver's seat during Rancho Santa Fe construction, along with Mrs. Norman McLean (on hood), Virginia Smith (standing), and Bertha Kreuziger >> ranchandcoast.com @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE APRIL 2022 89

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