Difference between revisions of "Chloethiel Woodard Smith"
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− | {{NewArchitectPageFormat}} | + | ''“I’m an architect with a capital A. Being a woman has nothing to do with it.”'' |
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+ | ''-Old Oregon Alumni Publication,'' 1979 | ||
+ | |||
+ | Chloethiel Woodard Smith, FAIA, was the sixth woman inaugurated into the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows and one of the first women to have a nationally recognized reputation in American architecture. At the peak of her practice in Washington DC, she led the country’s largest woman-owned architecture firm. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Smith made a point of never casting herself as a “Woman Architect” and was adamantly against being defined by her gender. “She would walk into a room full of male developers and put them in their place,” chuckled Arthur Cotton Moore, a distinguished Washington DC architect who worked for her in the 1960s. “She was a strong, unique figure. There really was not anyone else like her.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Smith played a large role in shaping the urban fabric of post-war Washington DC. The redevelopment of its southwest quadrant was among her most notable large-scale, urban planning commissions. Less known are her contributions to architecture in Maryland, most in the suburbs surrounding Washington DC, but some as far as Annapolis and St. Michaels. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In Rockville, Smith was the architect of choice for the Chestnut Lodge Research and Therapy Center for Children (now demolished). She designed its recreational and occupational therapy complex to be expandable with standardized wall panels, steel frame structure, and exposed web beams that created open, flexible interiors. Large areas of glazing alleviated a sense of confinement among the patients and encouraged participation in the outdoor activities. As described in ''Architectural Forum'' in 1955, the recreation center was an “outstanding” example of a health facility created through close collaboration of architects and hospital administrators. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In the early 1950’s, the firm where she partnered developed simple, quick-to-construct tract homes in rapidly expanding Silver Spring and Bethesda. But it is her custom home designs that truly showcased her modern sensibilities. Elizabeth A. Creveling writes of one early custom home: “There is no attempt to recall a past style; rather a new domestic vision through clean lines and simple materials.” It’s that vision as an architect that stood her apart with a capital A. | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''Timeline''' | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1910''' – Born Chloethiel Blanche Woodard on February 2 to Oliver & Coy Woodard in Peoria, IL | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1922''' – Family moves to Portland, OR and builds their home, sparking her early interest in architecture | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1928-1932''' – Attends University of Oregon and graduates with high honors & Bachelor of Architecture | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1929-1931''' – Works summers as a junior draftsman in Portland and Seattle | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1933''' – Receives Master of Architecture in City Planning, Washington University, St. Louis, MO | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1933-1935''' – Works as Design Associate in the studio of Henry Wright in New York | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1935-1939''' – Moves to the Washington DC; Works for the Rental Housing Division, Federal Housing Authority; Rises to Senior Architect – Chief of Planning & Research for Large Scale Housing Division | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1938''' – Receives license to practice architecture in Washington DC | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1939''' – Co-curates exhibition: Washington, Planned City Without a Plan | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1940-1941''' – Marries Bromley Keables Smith, news editor for ''Washington Daily News'' who joins Foreign Service and is posted to Montreal, Canada; Smith creates exhibit City for Living while working in Montreal | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1942''' – Becomes a Professor of Architecture and City Planning at University of San Andres while husband is stationed in La Paz, Bolivia | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1944''' – Receives Guggenheim Fellowship; Travels through South America studying urban planning history | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1946''' – Returns to Washington DC ;Joins Berla and Abel Architects; Becomes an AIA DC member; Son, Bromley Keables Smith, Jr born | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1947''' – Project: Rioch Residence, Chevy Chase wins Washington Board of Trade Architecture Award | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1948''' – Project: Miller Residence, Rockville | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1949''' – Projects: Rowen Residence “Upside Down House,” Chevy Chase | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1951''' – Project: ''House Beautiful'' features Hershfang Residence, Washington DC; Serves as director for the Housing Research Foundation | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1951-1956''' – Becomes Partner in the firm of Keyes, Smith, Satterlee & Lethbridge | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1952''' – Daughter Susanne Woodard Smith,born | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1952''' – Projects: Tract homes Forestvale, Silver Spring & High Point, Bethesda | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1953''' – Project: Bullard Residence, Annapolis | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1955''' – Projects: Dr. Dyrud Home Office, Chevy Chase; Lewis Residence, Potomac; Recreational Center at Chestnut Lodge Research Center and Therapy Hospital for Children, Rockville (Additions 1958 & 1972) | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1956-1963''' – Principal in firm of Satterlee & Smith | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1957''' – Washington Board of Trade Award for Architecture for Wilmott Lewis Stable, Potomac | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1958''' – Project: Washburn Residence, St. Michaels | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1959''' – Receives license to practice architecture in Maryland | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1959-1963''' – Project: Capitol Park Apartments & Townhouses, SW, Washington, DC | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1960''' – Elevated to AIA College of Fellows; National AIA Award of Merit for Capitol Park Project | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1963-1982''' – Directs firm of Chloethiel Woodard Smith & Associated Architects | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1965''' – Project: Addition to St. Andrews Episcopal Church, College Park | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1965-1968''' – Project: Washington Channel Bridge Proposal, Washington DC | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1966''' – Projects: Pension Building Use Study for Washington DC (becomes National Building Museum); Bindeman Residence, Bethesda; Spa Creek Townhouse Condominiums, Annapolis | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1967-1976''' – Serves on the U.S. Commission of the Fine Arts | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1969''' – Projects: Wilde Lake High Rise, Columbia; Consolidated Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Beltsville | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1970''' – September issue of Life Magazine features Smith in “Women Arise” where she rejects the Women’s Liberation movement; Project: Addition and renovation to Smith Residence, Chevy Chase | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1983''' – Retires from practice | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1985''' – YWCA votes her their “Woman of the Year” | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1987''' – Husband passes away | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1989''' – Receives AIA DC Centennial Medal for “continuous service to the chapter, the community and the profession” | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''1992''' – Passes away on December 30 in Hampton, SC at age 82{{NewArchitectPageFormat}} | ||
+ | {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith}} |
Latest revision as of 10:35, June 6, 2022
Chloethiel Woodard Smith | |
---|---|
General Information | |
Birth | February 2, 1910 Peoria, Illinois |
Death | December 30, 1992 Hampton, South Carolina |
Spouse | Bromley Keables Smith |
Biography
“I’m an architect with a capital A. Being a woman has nothing to do with it.”
-Old Oregon Alumni Publication, 1979
Chloethiel Woodard Smith, FAIA, was the sixth woman inaugurated into the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows and one of the first women to have a nationally recognized reputation in American architecture. At the peak of her practice in Washington DC, she led the country’s largest woman-owned architecture firm.
Smith made a point of never casting herself as a “Woman Architect” and was adamantly against being defined by her gender. “She would walk into a room full of male developers and put them in their place,” chuckled Arthur Cotton Moore, a distinguished Washington DC architect who worked for her in the 1960s. “She was a strong, unique figure. There really was not anyone else like her.”
Smith played a large role in shaping the urban fabric of post-war Washington DC. The redevelopment of its southwest quadrant was among her most notable large-scale, urban planning commissions. Less known are her contributions to architecture in Maryland, most in the suburbs surrounding Washington DC, but some as far as Annapolis and St. Michaels.
In Rockville, Smith was the architect of choice for the Chestnut Lodge Research and Therapy Center for Children (now demolished). She designed its recreational and occupational therapy complex to be expandable with standardized wall panels, steel frame structure, and exposed web beams that created open, flexible interiors. Large areas of glazing alleviated a sense of confinement among the patients and encouraged participation in the outdoor activities. As described in Architectural Forum in 1955, the recreation center was an “outstanding” example of a health facility created through close collaboration of architects and hospital administrators.
In the early 1950’s, the firm where she partnered developed simple, quick-to-construct tract homes in rapidly expanding Silver Spring and Bethesda. But it is her custom home designs that truly showcased her modern sensibilities. Elizabeth A. Creveling writes of one early custom home: “There is no attempt to recall a past style; rather a new domestic vision through clean lines and simple materials.” It’s that vision as an architect that stood her apart with a capital A.
Timeline
1910 – Born Chloethiel Blanche Woodard on February 2 to Oliver & Coy Woodard in Peoria, IL
1922 – Family moves to Portland, OR and builds their home, sparking her early interest in architecture
1928-1932 – Attends University of Oregon and graduates with high honors & Bachelor of Architecture
1929-1931 – Works summers as a junior draftsman in Portland and Seattle
1933 – Receives Master of Architecture in City Planning, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
1933-1935 – Works as Design Associate in the studio of Henry Wright in New York
1935-1939 – Moves to the Washington DC; Works for the Rental Housing Division, Federal Housing Authority; Rises to Senior Architect – Chief of Planning & Research for Large Scale Housing Division
1938 – Receives license to practice architecture in Washington DC
1939 – Co-curates exhibition: Washington, Planned City Without a Plan
1940-1941 – Marries Bromley Keables Smith, news editor for Washington Daily News who joins Foreign Service and is posted to Montreal, Canada; Smith creates exhibit City for Living while working in Montreal
1942 – Becomes a Professor of Architecture and City Planning at University of San Andres while husband is stationed in La Paz, Bolivia
1944 – Receives Guggenheim Fellowship; Travels through South America studying urban planning history
1946 – Returns to Washington DC ;Joins Berla and Abel Architects; Becomes an AIA DC member; Son, Bromley Keables Smith, Jr born
1947 – Project: Rioch Residence, Chevy Chase wins Washington Board of Trade Architecture Award
1948 – Project: Miller Residence, Rockville
1949 – Projects: Rowen Residence “Upside Down House,” Chevy Chase
1951 – Project: House Beautiful features Hershfang Residence, Washington DC; Serves as director for the Housing Research Foundation
1951-1956 – Becomes Partner in the firm of Keyes, Smith, Satterlee & Lethbridge
1952 – Daughter Susanne Woodard Smith,born
1952 – Projects: Tract homes Forestvale, Silver Spring & High Point, Bethesda
1953 – Project: Bullard Residence, Annapolis
1955 – Projects: Dr. Dyrud Home Office, Chevy Chase; Lewis Residence, Potomac; Recreational Center at Chestnut Lodge Research Center and Therapy Hospital for Children, Rockville (Additions 1958 & 1972)
1956-1963 – Principal in firm of Satterlee & Smith
1957 – Washington Board of Trade Award for Architecture for Wilmott Lewis Stable, Potomac
1958 – Project: Washburn Residence, St. Michaels
1959 – Receives license to practice architecture in Maryland
1959-1963 – Project: Capitol Park Apartments & Townhouses, SW, Washington, DC
1960 – Elevated to AIA College of Fellows; National AIA Award of Merit for Capitol Park Project
1963-1982 – Directs firm of Chloethiel Woodard Smith & Associated Architects
1965 – Project: Addition to St. Andrews Episcopal Church, College Park
1965-1968 – Project: Washington Channel Bridge Proposal, Washington DC
1966 – Projects: Pension Building Use Study for Washington DC (becomes National Building Museum); Bindeman Residence, Bethesda; Spa Creek Townhouse Condominiums, Annapolis
1967-1976 – Serves on the U.S. Commission of the Fine Arts
1969 – Projects: Wilde Lake High Rise, Columbia; Consolidated Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Beltsville
1970 – September issue of Life Magazine features Smith in “Women Arise” where she rejects the Women’s Liberation movement; Project: Addition and renovation to Smith Residence, Chevy Chase
1983 – Retires from practice
1985 – YWCA votes her their “Woman of the Year”
1987 – Husband passes away
1989 – Receives AIA DC Centennial Medal for “continuous service to the chapter, the community and the profession”
1992 – Passes away on December 30 in Hampton, SC at age 82
Projects
Map
Library | Church | Government | Commercial | Dwelling | Park | Educational |
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Listing
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Project | Completed | Address | Image |