Lutah Maria Riggs
| Lutah Maria Riggs | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 31, 1896 Toledo, Ohio |
| Died | March 8, 1984 (aged 87) Montecito, California |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | Architect |
Lutah Maria Riggs, FAIA (October 31, 1896 – March 8, 1984) was an American architect who worked for several decades in the Southern California region. She was the first licensed female architect in Santa Barbara, and the first woman in California to be named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
Lutah Maria Riggs was born in 1896 in Toledo, Ohio, the only child of a physician and a homemaker. Her father died when she was a child. She graduated from Manual Training High School in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1914. Later that same year, Riggs and her mother moved to Santa Barbara to join her stepfather.
Riggs completed her initial undergraduate studies at Santa Barbara City College, from which she received a certificate in 1917. She then won a scholarship to attend the University of California at Berkeley, from which she received her B.A. in Architecture in 1919. Riggs completed graduate coursework at Berkeley in 1920, but moved back to Santa Barbara before finishing her graduate degree to be closer to her ailing mother.
Riggs began her architectural career in 1920, working in Susanville as a draftswoman and designer for architect Ralph D. Taylor. After working for Taylor for a few months, she moved to Santa Barbara and worked as a draftswoman for the noted Spanish Revival architect George Washington Smith. Smith and his wife were so taken by Riggs that she became somewhat of a surrogate daughter to the couple. She travelled with the Smith family on their architectural study trips to Mexico in 1922, and Europe in 1924. Also in 1924, Riggs was made partner in the firm, and given the title of chief draftswoman. Riggs eventually became extremely influential in much of the firm's design work, and in some cases was fully responsible for the design of commissions. She contributed significantly to the designs for some of Smith's most well-known buildings, including the Lobero Theatre, El Paseo historical complex, and Casa del Herrero.
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