Christiancy, George A. C., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1927 on a hilltop at 17078 El Mirador in Rancho Santa Fe, this two-story Spanish Colonial Revival house was designed by Lilian Rice as a winter home for George A.C. Christiancy, a New York financier. Rice shaped it to suit the community covenant as a "country gentleman's home," with a rectangular plan and one wing angled north to follow the hill. Walls are white stucco, the roof is red clay tile, and the entry is reached by a two-arch stairway rising to an inner courtyard with decorated tile. The house has five bedrooms and about 4,463 square feet of living space. A guest house was added around 1947, a porch was enclosed in 1957, and a pool followed in 1980. The house is recognized as an excellent example of Rice's large residences, noted for deeply recessed voids contrasting with smooth sculptural volumes, and as one element of a carefully planned community of buildings.
Significance in brief: It is presented as an excellent example of the large homes Lilian Rice designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style in Rancho Santa Fe. It also represents community planning and development as part of a carefully laid out group of buildings in a planned area. Its siting on a steep hill and reductive design, with recessed voids against smooth sculptural volumes, reflect Rice's work.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 91000943, listed August 5, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 17078 El Mirador, Rancho Santa Fe |
|---|---|
| County | San Diego County |
| Listed | August 5, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000943 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1927 |
| Architect / builder | Rice, Lilian Jenette |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in the form as single-family domestic use, both historically and currently. Later changes include a 1947 guest house, a 1957 porch enclosure and a 1980 pool. |
| Acreage | 4.2 |
| Coordinates | 33.02935, -117.18890 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 91000943.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q5754219
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.