Background
George W. Smith was born in 1879 in East Liberty, United States.
George W. Smith was born in 1879 in East Liberty, United States.
He attended Philadelphia's Academy of Fine Arts and after a course in Architecture at Harvard University spent several years abroad studying architecture, painting and sculpture in Paris, also traveled extensively in Italy and Spain, absorbing the charm of native architecture.
With the end of the first World War Mr. Smith returned to the U. S., and while visiting in California, chose Montecito, a suburb of Santa Barbara, as an ideal place in which to open an office. From the start he specialized in residential work, and although his first houses were of modest size, they were so distinctive in character that he was soon known from coast to coast, with his work illustrated in leading architectural magazines, and exhibited in all im¬portant shows. Noteworthy examples of his houses include the Paul Faegan residence at Pebble Beach, the Kirk Johnson house in Santa Barbara (which received the Southern California Chapter’s Honor Award a short time prior to his death), and many others too numerous to mention. While Mr. Smith took much pleasure in designing homes, he also planned, with equal success, a number of public buildings in Santa Barbara, such as the Lobero Theatre, The Daily News Building, and the Little Town Club.