Rice, Lilian Jenette, House
Why it's listed
This small Spanish Colonial Revival cottage at 16780 La Gracia in Rancho Santa Fe was designed by architect Lilian Jenette Rice and dates to about 1924. The one-story, U-shaped house faces east and has stuccoed walls, a low gabled red clay tile roof, wood-framed casement and fixed windows, and a stuccoed chimney in a New Mexican Puebloan style. A tiled, covered patio sits at the rear, and eucalyptus trees surround the roughly 1,500-square-foot home. A small board-and-batten addition was made in 1930. It was listed for its architecture and its role in community planning. It shows the simplicity, restrained ornament, smooth plaster, tile roofs, arched entries and private patios found in Rice's other work, blended with the natural terrain. Rice supervised the planned community of Rancho Santa Fe for Requa and Jackson from 1922 to 1927 and later opened her own office there. She is said to have lived in the cottage around 1924, though the exact years are unknown.
Significance in brief: The cottage is significant under Criterion C as an excellent example of a small cottage designed by Lilian Rice in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. It is also significant for community planning, as part of a carefully laid out group of buildings in a large planned area. Criterion B was not applied because the years Rice lived there are unknown.
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 91000946, listed August 5, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 16780 La Gracia, Rancho Santa Fe |
|---|---|
| County | San Diego County |
| Listed | August 5, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000946 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1924 |
| 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) | Still in use as a single-family private dwelling; a small board-and-batten addition was made in 1930. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.01741, -117.20537 (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 91000946.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q5754297
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.