Lutah Maria Riggs Designs the American Riviera

About this episode

The episode explores the life and work of architect Lutah Maria Riggs, highlighting her influence on California's architectural style.

Stucco arches, red tile floors, exposed beams — the look and feel of the houses in the oceanfront towns of Santa Barbara and Montecito can be attributed to a woman architect known by one name: Lutah. The Ohio-born and California-bred architect Lutah Maria Riggs was on track to be a teacher, one of few professions to welcome women in the early 20th century, when she won a scholarship to Berkeley by selling newspapers. Like architect Julia Morgan before her, she gained entry to the university's Beaux Arts influenced architecture program – one of only four women in her class. Also like Morgan, she was talented enough to capture the interest and mentorship of the head of the program, John Galen Howard, and a series of other older male architects who helped her launch her career and chaperoned her travel to Mexico, Spain, and other countries whose architecture was highly influential in California in the 1920s. Riggs's most famous public project, the Lobero Theater in downtown Santa Barbara, was directly influenced by a serendipitous stop in Spain. Traveling on her own, Riggs took advantage of the network of women's hotels and clubs available in those days. She was always up for a…

People in this episode

Host: The Kitchen Sisters

Topics covered

• architecture
• women in architecture
• California design
• historical figures
• cultural influence

Keywords

• Lutah Maria Riggs
• architecture
• Santa Barbara
• California
• women architects
• Lobero Theater
• historical architecture

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Lobero Theater

Places: Santa Barbara, Montecito, California, Ohio, Spain, Mexico

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