Today Montecito and Santa Barbara are associated with a number of women identifiable by a single name, from Gwyneth to Oprah to Meghan. But the look of the houses in those oceanfront cities – stucco arches, red tile floors, exposed beams — can be attributed to a woman architect also known by one name, Lutah.

I'm your host, Alexandra Lange. Welcome to the latest episode of New Angle: Voice on the Ohio-born and California-bred architect Lutah Maria Riggs.

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 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 dance, and was even friends with Martha Graham when the modern dance pioneer spent time in Santa Barbara.

Her work has helped define the indoor-outdoor, casual, one-story style that is most identified with southern California today. That has made her houses highly prized for their luxurious materials, swoon-worthy views, and easy living. Unlike many architects who focused on public commissions, many of her houses are still extant, and the real estate agents know what they've got. Zoe Saldana lives in a Lutah today, and architecture enthusiast Ellen DeGeneres has in the past. Riggs – who lived until the 1980s – continues to be one of Santa Barbara's most celebrated architects.

Join us on the Gold Coast for "Lutah Maria Riggs Designs the American Riviera"

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Special thanks in this episode to Volker Welter, Melinda Gandara, Gretchen Lieff, Nicole Hernandez, Cristal Clarke, Dawn Ziemer, and Krishnaprana and Vrajaprana at the Vedanta Center in Santa Barbara.

The archival recordings of Lutah Maria Riggs are from her collection at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

This podcast is brought to you by the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation and produced by Brandi Howell.