Francis Palmer Smith
Francis Palmer Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 1971 (aged 84) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Years active | 1908–1970 |
| Known for | Head of the Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture; partner in Pringle and Smith architectural firm |
Francis Palmer Smith (born March 27, 1886, Cincinnati – died March 5, 1971, Atlanta) was a prominent architect who practiced primarily in Atlanta and throughout the Southeastern United States. He served as head of the Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture from 1909 until 1922.
Smith's early career included work in Cincinnati and Columbus, Georgia. In 1908, he joined the newly established architecture program at Georgia Tech, where he introduced a curriculum modeled on the Beaux-Arts principles taught at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. In 1922, he formed the architectural firm Pringle and Smith in partnership with Robert Smith Pringle.
Robert Smith Pringle (1883–1937), originally from Summerville, South Carolina, began his architectural practice in Columbia before moving to Atlanta in 1917. As the lead designer at Pringle and Smith, he played a key role in shaping numerous commercial and residential projects until his passing in 1937.
Following Pringle's death, Smith continued the practice alone until his son, Henry Howard Smith, became a partner in 1960. Francis Palmer Smith retired in 1970 and passed away the following year.
Works
While part of Pringle and Smith:[1]
- A variety of residences located in upscale Atlanta neighborhoods such as Buckhead and Druid Hills
- Grace United Methodist Church, situated at 458 Ponce de Leon Avenue (constructed 1922–23)
- The Cox-Carlton Hotel (1925)
- Norris Building (1926)
- Lynch Building (1926)
- Rhodes-Haverty Building (1929)
- William-Oliver Building (1930)
- W. W. Orr Building (1930)
- Standardized Coca-Cola bottling plants across the Southeast region, including the notable Beaux-Arts style Tifton Coca-Cola Bottling Plant built in 1937
The firm also executed commissions in Florida cities such as Miami, Jacksonville, and Sarasota. Proposed plans for a large hotel at Peachtree and Ellis streets were eventually replaced by the more modest Collier Building project (spanning 1932 to the 1970s).
After the dissolution of the partnership, Smith’s projects encompassed:[1]
- Additional Coca-Cola bottling facilities throughout Southeastern states
- Smaller-scale residential developments within Atlanta and suburban areas of Chattanooga
- Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, located in Virginia-Highland
- The Episcopal Cathedral of Saint Philip on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, including its ancillary structures[2]