Christopher Arthur Smith (19 November 1892 – 2 March 1952), also known as Chris Smith and Chris A. Smith, was a

South Australian South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

architect. He was a prolific designer of

picture theatre A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

s and public buildings in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and regional South Australia during the 1920s and 1930s, and is recognised as one of the leading South Australian exponents of the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style.

Early life

Smith was born on 19 November 1892 in

Rosewater, South Australia Rosewater is one of the western suburbs of Adelaide and is located 10 km north-west of Adelaide's central business district. Although mainly residential, there are many shops along Grand Junction Road and the closed Rosewater Loop railwa ...

(then known as Yatala), with his name registered as Arthur Christopher Smith; however, this order of names was never subsequently recorded. His father Thomas Edwin Smith was a sailor and then labourer, his mother Elizabeth Ellen Williams was likely illiterate, and Chris was the youngest of six sons. Chris only had about eight years of schooling, going into business with his brothers in a

film distribution Film distribution (also known as Film exhibition or Film distribution and exhibition) is the process of making a movie available for viewing by an audience. This is normally the task of a professional film distributor, who would determine the marke ...

business in Port Adelaide. In 1915 Smith was registered as a carpenter. There is no record of any architectural training.

Architectural career

Smith had no formal architectural training, but was a prolific designer of cinemas and

public building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fun ...

s in

and regional South Australia during the 1920s and 1930s, and is recognised as one of the leading South Australian exponents of the

style. In 1917 he signed himself as

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

in documentation relating to the construction of a cinema in Kadina, and in 1924 claimed to have practised as an architect for ten years. He practised in King William Street, Adelaide until 1932, and subsequently from his home at 5a (now 3) Prospect Road, Prospect. After purchasing the adjoining property at no. 5, he built an Art Deco style home on that property’s

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...

, including a garage with his office and studio above facing Carter Street, in 1938. This was later hailed as an "iconic building" of Adelaide. He was responsible for at least 12 Adelaide cinemas between the 1910s and 1940s.PDF
/ref> After the ''Architects Act 1939'' came into force, Smith was registered from 1941 until his death in 1952, having fulfilled the requirement of working as an architect for a specified period. In January 1946 he was admitted as an Associate of the South Australian Institute of Architects, even though he was no longer working as an architect.

Later life and legacy

He lived with his wife and children in Prospect. In later life he was a Freemason, belonging to the Lodge of Faith No. 9, and was also a member of the Prospect Bowling Club. He died at home on 2 March 1952. Five of his buildings appear in the Australian Institute of Architects listing of "South Australia Significant Twentieth Century Architecture", and several more the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. ...

Selected works

Cinemas

* Star Theatre, Hindmarsh (1916) (an expansion of the old town hall), one of Dan Clifford's earliest cinemas, later known as the Odeon Star, Cinema Italia, Cinema Europa, and Windsor TheatrePDF
/ref> * Austral Picture Palace, Kilkenny (1922) * Ozone Theatre in Prospect (1923) * Star Theatre at Norwood (1923, with Kaberry and Chard), now the Odeon Theatre * Ozone Theatre in

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

(1926) * Ozone Theatre in Alberton (1924) * Garden Theatre in Colonel Light Gardens (1927; closed 1962); also known as Colonel Light Gardens Theare, Odeon Star, Garden Picture Theatre, Hoyts Ozone * Princess Theatre in (then)

Marryatville Marryatville is a small suburb about east of Adelaide's central business district, in the local council area of City of Norwood Payneham St Peters. Comprising low- to medium-density housing, two large schools, a church and several shops, it ...

(1929), now the Regal Theatre, Kensington Park * Ozone Theatre, Semaphore, now Semaphore Library (1929) *Austral Theatre (1935), Naracoorte, later known as the Rivoli Theatre * Roxy Theatre, Everard Park (1937; closed 1961) * Star Theatre,

Wakefield Street, Adelaide Wakefield Street is a main thoroughfare intersecting the centre of the South Australian capital, Adelaide, from east to west at its midpoint. It crosses Victoria Square in the centre of the city, which has a grid street plan. It continues as ...

(a complete refurbishment of the Central Picture Theatre) *

Capri Theatre The Capri Theatre is a heritage-listed cinema in Goodwood, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, built in the Art Deco style in 1941. It was formerly called the New Star Theatre, Goodwood Star, New Curzon, and Cinema Capri. It is owned by a ...

in the suburb of Goodwood (1941) * Savoy News Theatre (1941; closed 1966), 43-45 Rundle Mall, Adelaide city centre, aka Savoy News Luxe, Globe

Other buildings

Peterborough Town Hall Peterborough Town Hall is a municipal building in Bridge Street, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. It is a locally listed building. History The current structure was commissioned to replace the 17th century guildhall in Cathedral Square. ...

(1927) *

Semaphore Soldiers Memorial Hall Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...

at Semaphore (1929) * Hindmarsh Town Hall at Hindmarsh (1936), specifically designed to accommodate a picture theatre with seating for 2,000 people; listed on the

in November 1989. * Port Adelaide Municipal Chambers (1939)