These two photographs, taken approximately 30 years apart, show Lutah as a student at Berkeley and as a well-established architect at her drafting table.
Lutah Maria Riggs papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. University of California Regents.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Baer house (Lompoc, Calif.)
The alterations to the Herman Baer house in rural Lompoc show the modern style of architecture that Riggs was moving towards in the late 1940s. A marked departure from her Spanish Colonial Revival work of the 20s, this house shows her growth as an architect and ability to adapt to changing needs of her clients.
Lutah Maria Riggs, architect William Aplin, photographer
Lutah Maria Riggs: Berkey house (Carpenteria, Calif.)
The beach house for Peter Berkey III, a former Air Force pilot, sits oceanside along Padaro Lane with an unobstructed view of the Pacific. The siting of the house on a small rise allows for unobstructed views of the mountains to the north as well.
Lutah Maria Riggs, architect Richard Fish, photographer
Lutah Maria Riggs: Black house (Montecito, Calif.)
This house, on San Ysidro Lane in Montecito, for G. Palmer and Louise Black was the second one designed by Riggs for the couple. An earlier house was on Greene Lane in Santa Barbara.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Colville house (Isla Vista, Calif.)
In 1954, the University of California opened a new campus on a former Marine Air Base, about ten miles west of Santa Barbara. This sparsely populated area, called Isla Vista, did not have the housing or infrastructure to support the influx of students, faculty, and staff. This small ocean-side house for Physical Education department faculty member Francis Colville is a two-bedroom, one bath modern house on Del Playa Drive. It is on the far west side of Isla Vista, since the properties closer to campus were zoned for multiple units to house students.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Erdman house (Montecito, Calif.)
The Erdman estate of approximately 3 acres, is located in the Birnam Woods area of Montecito and features views of the mountains. The long driveway leads to a large motor court; a separate outdoor area includes a large pool and garden. The low, flat roof and post-and-beam style exterior are stylistically very modern and streamlined.
Montecito, Calif.; Santa Barbara, Calif.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Erving house (Montecito, Calif.)
With the Erving house in Montecito, the goal was to provide privacy for the owner and a view up towards the mountains and down to the ocean. Riggs achieved this by designing a large triangular wall of glass facing north (towards the mountains) and a similar, but smaller wall of glass facing south, with a large roof overhang, to protect the interior of the house from direct sunlight. A large fireplace divides the main room into living and dining without blocking the views in either direction.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Jefferson card room (Montecito, Calif.)
Mr and Mrs Percival Jefferson owned the 1916 Reginald Johnson-designed house, Miraflores. After her death in 1950, Mr.s Jefferson's friend and secretary, Helen Marso, donated the house and grounds to begin the Music Academy of the West.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Kiler house (Montecito, Calif.)
The house for Leslie Kiler and family overlooks the Santa Ynez mountain range, which rises from the oak-covered hills of Montecito. With simple, clean lines, the house is clad in redwood and features a 10 foot ceiling in the living room, which lines up and frames the view of the mountains. Riggs gave the living room and dining room a wall of windows facing the view, as well as extended the eaves for an overhang to partially shelter an outdoor dining area.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Ludington house (Montecito, Calif.)
This house, built for art collector Wright Ludington, was his second house in Montecito. For this house, Ludington wanted to showcase his art collection and commissioned Riggs to create a house around his art and sculpture.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Nelson medical offices (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
This medical office building was one of three commissions by dermatologist Lawrence Nelson. It is a typical small medical office building, with parking in the rear of the property, and access from the street. The present occupants of the building are a local architecture firm.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Riggs house (Montecito, Calif.)
Riggs designed this house on Middle Road in Montecito for herself in the mid-twenties; she lived there until her death in 1984. The house, named Clavelitos or "little carnation," contained two bedrooms, ample outdoor space, and large fireplaces. The Spanish Colonial Revival style was championed by George Washington Smith, who was Riggs' mentor; she worked for Smith up until his death in 1930.
Lutah Maria Riggs, architect Frederick Dapprich, photographer Hal Bouchex, photographer
Lutah Maria Riggs: San Ysidro Ranch cottages (Montecito, Calif.)
Lutah Maria Riggs' work at the San Ysidro Ranch in the early 1950s is indicative of her work in Montecito at that time. She utilized the mid-century vernacular for her additions and alterations to the cottages, restaurant, and on-site manager's office and apartment. The Ranch itself was originally a working ranch that was part of the Santa Barbara Mission. One of it's buildings is an adobe house dating from 1825. Once the property became a hotel in the 1880s, it became a site for Hollywood elite to stay from the 1930s until the 1970s.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Santa Barbara Botanic Garden library (Santa Barbara,Calif.)
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden was started in 1926 as a partnership between the Carnegie Institution and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, with land in Mission Canyon donated by Anna Dorinda Bliss. The Garden grew from the initial 13 acres, up to 78 acres today, and is filled with native and regional plants. In 1942, space was needed for the growing library of books on horticulture in the Garden's collection. Riggs was commissioned to design a structure for education and research named the Blaksley Library. The exterior courtyard was a collaboration between Riggs and landscape architect Beatrix Farrand. Additional landscape designs in the garden were created by Lockwood de Forest and Elizabeth de Forest.
Lutah Maria Riggs, architect Marvin Rand, photographer Frederick Dapprich, photographer
© Marvin Rand Estate Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. University of California Regents.
Lutah Maria Riggs: Suski building alterations (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
The large, multi-story commercial and retail building on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara had exterior alterations by Riggs. The T.C. Suski Building was a Joseph Magnin department store in the 1960s and is currently retail and offices. The building is adjacent to the Casa de la Guerra, the historic adobe dating from the 1820s, and the El Paseo shopping area.
Lutah Maria Riggs, architect Ray Borges, photographer
Lutah Maria Riggs: Vedanta Temple (Montecito, Calif.)
Riggs designed the main temple building, as well as the gate house, shrine room, carport, and pavilion on the Vedanta grounds. Riggs studied the architectural forms of China, Japan, and India before building the temple, and applied classic forms to the shape of the building. The temple building is situated in such a way as to provide views south towards the Pacific Ocean, and north to the Santa Ynez mountains.