Delos Hamilton Smith Jr. (May 10, 1884 – July 21, 1963)
DC Architects Directory
', p. 72. was an American architect and architectural historian.

Education and career

Born in

Willcox, Arizona Willcox is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The city is located in the Sulphur Springs Valley, a flat and sparsely populated drainage basin dotted with seasonal lakes. The city is surrounded by Arizona's most prominent mountain ...

, to Delos H. Smith Sr. and Martha McCurdy Smith,John Clagett Proctor, Edwin Melvin Williams, and Frank P. Black,
Washington, Past and Present: A History - Volume 3
' (1930), p. 232. Smith attended public school in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and received a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in architecture from the

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

in 1906,Anne E. Peterson, ''Hornblower & Marshall, Architects'' (1978), p. 16. apprenticing with the Office of Supervising Architect in the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

the same year. He then worked as an apprentice for several architecture firms in short order, including Hornblower and Marshall from 1907 to 1909, Hill and Kendall from 1910 to 1911, and J.H. DeSibour from 1911 to 1912. He was a junior partner in the firm of Kendall & Smith from 1912 to 1916, also teaching architecture at the George Washington University during this time, where he also received an

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

in architecture in 1916. He then established his own architecture firm, maintaining sole ownership until 1924, when he formed the partnership of Smith & Edwards. Notable buildings designed by Smith include St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Rock Creek Parish (for renovation following a 1921 fire that gutted the church), the Montgomery County Courthouse in Rockville, Maryland, and the

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The church was formed in 1859–1860 but traces its roots to 1803 as the F Street Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and anothe ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Smith was given charge of the Design Division at the

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, Navy Yard as a Commander in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

, where he "oversaw drafting production for a variety of industrial and military projects". Smith was inducted as a fellow of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

on March 12, 1952.

Personal life and death

In 1928, Smith married Iris Bland, with whom he had one daughter, Marisa Smith. He died in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, at the age of 79.

References

External links

University of Virginia Guide to the Delos H. Smith Collection
* Delos H. Smith,
Colonial Houses at Annapolis
, in ''The Architectural Review'' (1920), p. 69. {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Delos H. 1884 births 1963 deaths George Washington University alumni 20th-century American architects American architectural historians Fellows of the American Institute of Architects