Architect Corner - Smith & Williams
This post highlights projects by architects Whitney R. Smith and Wayne R. Williams. The Smith and Williams architecture firm, based in South Pasadena, was noted for buildings designed in a modernist style. The partnership was active until 1973 when Smith left the firm.
Most of the works in this post are mid-century and located close to where I live. Included are a mix of the firm’s projects - commercial, residential, and a church. The architects were quite prolific and I anticipate writing a follow-up post.
Friend Paper Company, 1964
The unique saw-toothed roof of this building catches your eye whether you’re walking or driving on Green St. in Old Town Pasadena. If you stand beneath the pleated roof and look up, you get some great abstract artsy images.
On a rare rainy day when the pavement is wet, it looks good in black and white.
1414 Fair Oaks Ave., former office of the architects Smith & Williams, 1959
I first visited 1414 Fair Oaks in 2020 during pandemic shutdown and had the magical space all to myself!
Offices surround a courtyard covered by metal canopies at varying heights. Globe light fixtures are suspended from the undulating barrel-shaped canopies.
Prominent landscape architect Garrett Eckbo was responsible for the design which I think makes the space so special.
From the Los Angeles Conservancy website:
“An exploration of the ideal form of California living, the former office of architects Smith & Williams is an outstanding realization of the blend of indoor/outdoor environments, easy automobile access, natural light, and innovative use of geometric forms.”
For a number of years, Smith and Williams shared the building with other design firms, including Eckbo’s firm, Eckbo, Dean, Austin and Williams (EDAW).
1629 Fremont Ave, South Pasadena, 1955
Smith and Williams designed a 14-unit garden courtyard apartment on Fremont Ave. in South Pasadena in 1955.
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (now First Evangelical Church), 625 W Foothill Blvd., 1960
My first and only time in Monrovia was a recent hot August day (100 degrees!). The sole purpose of the trip was to stop and photograph this church. It was well worth the effort!
I learned about this project from another IG account that included photos, including some noted photographer Julius Shulman had taken of the church.
1517 Fair Oaks, 1964
When I had just moved to Pasadena during pandemic shutdown, I recall flipping through “California Captured, Mid-Century Modern Architecture, Marvin Rand” and finding a couple of places nearby on Fair Oaks that he had photographed. The idea was planted for my run destination.
The building was obscured by the landscaping and the garage gated when I saw it. When Rand photographed it, the cars were visible and much cooler!
209 Beacon Ave., 1936 (Whitney Smith)
This South Pasadena home was the primary residence of Whitney R. Smith for nearly all of his momentous career, from the 1930s until his retirement in the ’80s.
Smith expanded an early 1900s guesthouse to create a larger residence for his family. The home has since been renovated while retaining elements of the original structure.