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In 1886 Smith joined the office of Richard Morris Hunt, working on various projects for the firm until he was assigned to the Biltmore project in 1889. Gilbert’s office, where he spent most of his time supervising design and construction of railroad stations. In 1883 Smith moved to New York City and joined Bradford L. After working for various architects in Manchester, Smith immigrated to the United States in 1882, and took a position with the Reid Brothers, architects, in Evansville, Indiana. Beyond Asheville, Smith and then Smith and Carrier became the first major regional architectural firm serving southwestern North Carolina, planning public and commercial buildings, churches, and residences in many mountain communities.īorn in Yorkshire, England, Richard Sharp Smith received his architectural training in the office of a cousin, George Smith. He helped to define the character of the city in his time, and he designed many houses in suburban Asheville neighborhoods such as Montford, Chestnut Hill, and Grove Park. In the period from 1900 to 1920, Smith was responsible for virtually every major structure in downtown Asheville. In his architectural practice-both individually and in partnership with Albert Carrier-Smith designed a variety of buildings from major public edifices to domestic additions and outbuildings, and he worked in a wide range of styles including Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, and Craftsman modes. Richard Sharp Smith (1852-1924), a talented and eclectic English-born architect, came to Asheville in 1889 as the supervising architect of Biltmore House, established a private practice in 1895, and became one of the city’s most prolific and influential architects during the first two decades of the 20 th century.