Robert Smith (123)

Robert Smith (14 January 1722–11 February 1777) was an architect and carpenter, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1768. Born in Lugton, Scotland, he resettled in Philadelphia by 1749 and quickly established himself as the region’s premier architect. As chief carpenter for Pennsylvania Governor James Hamilton he oversaw the construction of Hamilton’s country estate, Bush Hill. Smith’s next job, erecting Philadelphia’s innovative Second Presbyterian Church, led to a flurry of commissions from the city’s religious community. From 1750 to 1775 he planned at least eight other churches, pioneering designs that allowed them to accommodate larger numbers of worshippers. St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia is regarded as his masterpiece; Zion Lutheran Church was the largest church in British North America; and the new steeple he designed for Christ Church still survives today. Smith also undertook a number of public projects, including buildings for the College of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Hospital (with APS member Samuel Rhoades), the alms house, and the Walnut Street Jail. Smith even conceived a covered bridge to span the Schuylkill River, but the idea never came to fruition. For the College of New Jersey at Princeton he designed Nassau Hall, which was one of America’s largest buildings at the time and influenced the architectural style of other university campuses. And as a member of the Carpenters’ Company he helped design Carpenters’ Hall. He was also commissioned to build private homes for Benjamin Franklin and others. Smith served on various revolutionary committees, including one that pushed for a colonial congress in 1774. Committed to the defense of Philadelphia, he designed a system of underwater obstructions that significantly delayed the British occupation. Early Philadelphia’s most eminent and influential architect died in Billingsport, New Jersey, in 1777 while overseeing these naval defenses. (PI, ANB, DNB, DAB)