David Forbes Smith (1865–1923) was a Scottish architect of many of the

Edwardian Baroque Edwardian architecture usually refers to a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular for public buildings in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to 1914 is commonly included in this style. It can al ...

civic and

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...

buildings in

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Born in

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...

in 1865 he apprenticed as a carpenter before being articled to John Murray of Kirkcaldy as an architect from 1885 to 1888. He obtained a place in the newly formed partnership of Honeyman & Keppie in Glasgow, overlapping and being photographed in staff pictures with

Charles Rennie Mackintosh Charles Rennie Mackintosh (7 June 1868 – 10 December 1928) was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macd ...

, and was briefly in the office of Charles Davidson of Paisley before moving to

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

as chief assistant to the architect Fred Bath whose office he passed the qualifying exam in 1893. He was admitted as an

Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

on 12 March 1894. In 1898 he returned to his home town, spending the remainder of his career running his own practice (in partnership with Adam Legge Johnston from 1920) until his death on 28 October 1923. He was a successful competitor in several architectural competitions, and his first listed work upon setting up his firm in Kirkcaldy was alterations to The Mechanics Institute, Dysart (now a

Category B listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

). Among his principal works were Strathearn House (now the Strathearn Hotel, a

) for the industrialist and philanthropist James Wishart, North School, Kirkcaldy; Viewforth High School, Kirkcaldy; blocks of the District Hospital and Kirkcaldy Burgh Infectious Diseases Hospital (now demolished parts of

Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy Victoria Hospital is a large hospital situated to the north of the town centre in Kirkcaldy, in Fife, Scotland. As one of two main hospitals in Fife, this serves both the town and surrounding Mid-Fife area. It is managed by NHS Fife. History T ...

); and Pathhead Baptist Church. His partner Adam Legge Johnston continued the practice until his death in 1955.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes Smith, David 1923 deaths 19th-century Scottish architects 20th-century Scottish architects Associates of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1865 births People from Kirkcaldy