From the very beginning. planning and respect for the environment governed the design of the community of Ranch Santa Fe. Lilian Rice, architect for the subdivision, sought to preserve and enhance the beauty of the Ranch through the design of the public and residential architecture in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. She carefully and deliberately transformed the Rancho from a eucalyptus forest owned by the Ranch Santa Fe railroad into a community famed for its steady, consistent growth and unified architectural theme-a total design concept.

A native of National City, Rice chose to attend the University of California at Berkeley and was one of its first female graduates in architecture. Upon graduation in 1910, she returned to the Southland to pursue a career in her choosen field. She began by teaching and working part-time as a draftswomen. One of her drafting jobs was for Hazel Waterman, a locally prominent designer. Waterman trained with one of San Diego's most prominent architects, Irving J. Gill, and has earned quite a reputation in her own right as a talented and creative designer. Rice worked well with Waterman and gained much useful experience, and knowledge about Southern California, its history, landscape and topography. She eventually left Waterman's office but continued to practice and hone her skills.

In 1912, Lilian Rice joined the prestigious firm of Richard S. Requa and Herbert L. Jackson. The firm was well known for its design of several structures in Balboa Park in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. Requa admired Rice's design style; it reflected her knowledge and respect for Southern California's history and traditions.

Upon receiving the commission in 1922 from W.E. Hodges, Santa Fe Railroad's Vice-President, to design an exclusive residential development for Rancho Santa Fe, Requa gave the job to Rice. She worked closely with L.G. Sinnard, project manager and kindred spirit, to produce a landmark community. Sinnard purposely planned a landmark community with winding roads throughout the Rancho to slow down speeding drivers to ensure their enjoyment of the breathtaking vistas around every turn. He also planned large lots and saw to it that deed restriction guaranteed favorable improvements to each one. Rice's designs were, of course, a large part of those "favorable improvements."

Rice immediately began work in her office on the corner of Paseo Delicias and La Granada. She believed that Paseo Delicias, the Civic Center, should be the foundation of the development and a resource for subsequent building throughout the community. Lillian Rice served as supervisory architect for Rancho Santa Fe from 1922-28. She designed the school, the library, La Morada (now the Inn), the Civic Center and a number of private residences. Rice also served as the architectural reviewer, a function of the present date art Jury.

Eventually, Rice began to design for other communities, including Pacific Beach, Chula Vista and Escondido. In 1931 she gained membership into the American Institute of Architecture, one of only a few females granted entrance. Lilian Rice was well known in her field. Unfortunately, Rice's career was cut short by her tragic death in 1938. She had fallen ill at her Ranch Santa Fe home three days before Christmas. She died shortly after emergency surgery; the exact cause of her death is unknown.

Lilian Rice's legacy lives on in the spanish village of Rancho Santa Fe. Not only is it an aesthetic treat, it is a testament to good planning, good design, and respect for history and environment. Although over sixty-five years old. Rancho Santa Fe stands as a blueprint for future development.

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