Rice House is the most significant example of domestic architecture in the International Style in Richmond. It was designed by acclaimed architect Richard Neutra, whose work is well represented on the West Coast but is very rare in this region. Neutra’s signature motifs—dramatic cantilevers, expansive planes of glass, interconnected interior and exterior spaces, fastidious attention to lighting, and the use of pools of water to define edges—are well illustrated in this dramatic structure set on an equally dramatic site in rugged terrain overlooking the north bank of the James River. The house was commissioned by Ambassador and Mrs. Walter Rice and served as their home during most of Rice’s career in business, commerce, and international diplomacy.