Robert Smith (January 14, 1722 - February 11, 1777) was a Scottish-born American architect who was based in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and was the architect for some of the city's most prominent early building structures, including Carpenters' Hall, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, and the steeple on Christ Church. These structures constituted the greater part of Philadelphia's early skyline. Other works by Smith include

Nassau Hall Nassau Hall, colloquially known as Old Nassau, is the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. In 1783 it served as the United States Capitol building for four months. ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and

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's public hospital. He worked exclusively in the

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...

Early life

Smith was born in

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; , ) is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1541. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-century castle (now Dalkeith Pala ...

Parish, Midlothian, Scotland into a family that included many masons. As a young man, he apprenticed in the building trades. In late 1748, he emigrated from either Scotland or London to America.

Career

Smith quickly became a member of the Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia, and is considered by many to be the foremost master-builder, or carpenter-architect, of the

Colonial era Colonial period (a period in a country's history where it was subject to management by a colonial power) may refer to: Continents *European colonization of the Americas * Colonisation of Africa * Western imperialism in Asia Countries * Col ...

. Smith has been called "America's most important 18th Century architect." He served as the master carpenter for Carpenters' Hall in

, and oversaw the hall's design and construction from 1770–1774. Working from published architectural sketchbooks or models of the past, a master-builder would adapt his designs to the building needs and materials of the colonial city. A famous client of Smith's was

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

. While living abroad, Franklin wrote a letter to his wife Deborah in which he complained that Smith was taking too long to complete their house. Other notable projects on which Smith worked on in and around Philadelphia include the steeple of Christ Church, Walnut Street Prison,

and St. Peter's Church. It is likely that Smith had a hand in shaping the Carpenter's Company's 1783 handbook for standards of workmanship and pricing. Entitled ''The Rules of Work of the Carpenter's Company of the City and County of Philadelphia'', this pattern and specifications booklet was one of the first trade manuals printed in America. It was "loaned" to every member of the Company and kept a closely guarded trade secret. Smith was active in cultural and political affairs. In addition to membership in the Carpenters' Company, Smith was also in the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

and the

First Continental Congress The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates of twelve of the Thirteen Colonies held from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia at the beginning of the American Revolution. The meeting was organized b ...

. He was appointed by the city of Philadelphia as a Regulator of Party Walls and Partition Fences, a plum political position roughly akin to building inspector. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, Smith constructed chevaux-de-frise. These were boxes containing sharp metal-tipped wooden spikes which were weighted down with stones and sunk in the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

to rip holes in the hulls of British warships.

Death

Smith died during the Revolutionary War while working on the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

barracks at Fort Billingsport in

Gloucester County, New Jersey Gloucester County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county was the state's List of counties in New Jersey, 14th-most populous county

, which was part of the Continental Army's defenses on the

. He is buried in

.Robert Smith at Find a grave
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References

External links

at U.S. History
"Robert Smith"
at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Robert 1722 births 1777 deaths Architects from Philadelphia Scottish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies People from Midlothian People from colonial Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Revolution Scottish architects Members of the American Philosophical Society