The LeRoy Smith House is a private house, designed by

Alden B. Dow Alden B. Dow (April 10, 1904 – August 20, 1983) was an American architect based in Midland, Michigan, and known for his contributions to the style of Michigan Modern. During a career that spanned from the 1930s to the 1960s, he designed more than ...

, and located at 9503 Frank Street in

Algonac, Michigan Algonac is a city in St. Clair County, Michigan, St. Clair County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,110 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Algonac is located at the southern end of the St. Clair River, just before it ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1996.

History

LeRoy Smith was a salesman for the Hobart Company, which manufactured paint sprayers, battery chargers, and welding equipment. After working for Hobart for a time, Smith founded his own company to distribute Hobart equipment. Smith and his family lived in

Highland Park, Michigan Highland Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,977 at the 2020 census. Along with its neighbor of Hamtramck, Highland Park is an enclave city surrounded by the city of Detroit. History The area tha ...

, but owned this plot of land along the

St. Clair River The St. Clair River (french: Rivière Sainte-Claire) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 7, 2011 river in central North America which flows from Lake Huron int ...

near Algonac for summer trips. In the late 1930s, the Smiths decided to build a summer house on the property to take advantage of the river view. Their daughter Maxine's parents-in-law had commissioned a house from

in 1938, and although they had ultimately decided not to build, they highly recommended Dow to the Smiths. The Smiths contacted Dow in 1940, and construction began on this house in December of that year. However, the contractor had difficulties, and the house was not finished until early 1942.

Description

The LeRoy Smith House is a two-story, flat-roofed house constructed of cinder "unit blocks" designed and patented by Dow. A long, low three-car garage extends at a right angle from the corner of the house. The street side of the house has a plain, flat facade with a few small windows; the river side, in contrast, contains a large expanse of windows opening onto the water, underneath wide, projecting eaves. On the interior, the first floor has low ceilings and expansive windows overlooking the river. The first floor contains a playroom, dining room, kitchen, and a bedroom and bathroom. An open central stairway leads up to the living room, which has a higher ceiling than on the first floor. This floor also contains two bedrooms and another bathroom. Built-in shelving and storage units are located throughout the house.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, LeRoy, House National Register of Historic Places in St. Clair County, Michigan Buildings and structures completed in 1942