Rancho Santa Fe

The single architectural theme the bronze admires was enforced by a document, and the document governed more than rooflines. The Rancho Santa Fe Protective Covenant, adopted in 1928, barred the sale or lease of any part of the property to anyone not of the white or Caucasian race. That language stayed in it until 1973, a quarter century after the Supreme Court made such clauses unenforceable, and the covenant still governs the community. Lilian Rice designed some sixty buildings here in a working career of sixteen years.

What the plaque says

Rancho Santa Fe Rancho Santa Fe began as Rancho San Dieguito, a land grant of nearly 9,000 acres made to Juan Maria Osuna in 1845. The Santa Fe Railway Company later used the land to plant thousands of eucalyptus trees for use as railroad ties. In the 1920s Rancho Santa Fe became one of the state's first planned communities unified by a single architectural theme, the Spanish Colonial Revival. Lilian Rice, one of California's first successful woman architects, supervised the development and designed many of the buildings. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 982 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society and the Rancho Santa Fe Association, June 2, 1989.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Leo Carrillo Ranch — 7.3 mi
• Mule Hill — 8.2 mi
• San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park — 13 mi
• Kate Olivia Sessions' Nursery Site — 15 mi