Painter, Architect. The son of a prominent Pennsylvania engineer, Smith was raised in Philadelphia. He studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and later attended Harvard University to study architecture. In 1911 he quit his job as a sucessful bond trader and with his wife, Mary, moved to Europe to devote himself to painting and the study of art. Smith traveled around the continent painting landscapes as well as studying in Rome and at the Académie Julian in Paris. Smith spent three years in Europe, returning to the United States at the outbreak of World War I. In 1915 the Smiths traveled to California where his paintings were displayed at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Smith visited Montecito, a suburb of Santa Barbara, where he purchased land and designed and built a home and studio for himself which were reminiscant of a farmhouse he had seen in Spain and embarked on his architectural career. Often credited with being the 'Father of the Spanish-Colonial Revival style' Smith went on to design nearly 80 homes and commercial buildings in and around Santa Barbara where his dwellings continue to remain popular and several are on the National Register of Historic Sites.
Painter, Architect. The son of a prominent Pennsylvania engineer, Smith was raised in Philadelphia. He studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and later attended Harvard University to study architecture. In 1911 he quit his job as a sucessful bond trader and with his wife, Mary, moved to Europe to devote himself to painting and the study of art. Smith traveled around the continent painting landscapes as well as studying in Rome and at the Académie Julian in Paris. Smith spent three years in Europe, returning to the United States at the outbreak of World War I. In 1915 the Smiths traveled to California where his paintings were displayed at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Smith visited Montecito, a suburb of Santa Barbara, where he purchased land and designed and built a home and studio for himself which were reminiscant of a farmhouse he had seen in Spain and embarked on his architectural career. Often credited with being the 'Father of the Spanish-Colonial Revival style' Smith went on to design nearly 80 homes and commercial buildings in and around Santa Barbara where his dwellings continue to remain popular and several are on the National Register of Historic Sites.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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