Lilian Rice

Lilian Jeannette Rice
Lilian Jeannette Rice circa 1910
Born	(1889-06-12)June 12, 1889 National City, California
Died	December 22, 1938(1938-12-22) (aged 49) Rancho Santa Fe, California
Occupation	architect
Nationality	American
Period	1911-1938
Genre	California Spanish Colonial Revival
Notable works	design of Rancho Santa Fe, California
Website
http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/1669/

Lilian Jeannette Rice (June 12, 1889 – December 22, 1938) was an eco-conscious, early 20th-century American architect working primarily in the California Spanish colonial style. Several of her works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places under spelling variation Lilian Jenette Rice.

Rice was the daughter of Julius Augustus Rice (1854-1933) and Laura (Steele) Rice (1854-1939) and was born in National City, California, ten miles north of the Mexican border in South Bay, San Diego County. She was a direct patrilineal descendant of Edmund Rice an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1906, she entered the University of California and successfully completed her Bachelor of Letters Degree in Social Science with a major in architecture in 1910. In 1911 she completed a course in teaching there. She returned to National City, where she worked for several years in the office of San Diego architect Hazel Wood Waterman. She later taught geometric drawing at Russ High School (now San Diego High School) and then at San Diego State Teacher's College (now San Diego State University).

In 1921, Rice was chosen by Richard Requa, of the firm of Requa and Jackson, to be the lead planner on the new development at Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego County. From 1922 until 1927 this project consumed much of her time. After her association with Requa and Jackson, Rice opened her own architectural firm in 1928, having gained her architect's license the previous year. In 1931 she became a member of the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Architecture, one of only a few women admitted up to that time.