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Dale D. Smith Architectural Collection (MS-466)

 Collection
Identifier: MS-466

Scope and Content

The Dale D. Smith Architectural Collection comprises architectural drawings, plans and sketches, photographs, notes, correspondence and other paperwork pertaining mainly to projects worked on by Dale D. Smith at Dale D. Smith Associates. Some architectural drawings were created by Smith whilst working as a consultant for other companies. Within each series, the collection is ordered alphabetically by job title.

Series I, Commercial, contains architectural drawings, plans and sketches, photographs, notes, correspondence and other paperwork from projects such as the Metropolitan Arts Center, Dayton Area Board of Realtors building and NCR Country Club.

Series II, Residential Projects, consists of architectural projects dealing with residential projects, mainly around the Dayton, OH region, which includes the Anderson Residence, the Schiffler House and multiple residencies for Art Shone. The records are arranged alphabetically by project name. Included in the series are correspondence, project notes, specifications, sketches, plans, blueprints, photographs, various design samples, project resources and project tabulations.

Series III, Schools, consists of a number of projects including Antioch University, Brazie-Westminster Sylvan School, Hobart School, Miami Valley School, and the Ohio University School of Osteopathic Medicine Grandview Hospital. The projects consist of correspondence, blueprints, design plans, sketches, financial and legal documents, project reports, and specifications.

Series IV, Medical, consists of three projects. The first project is the Aspesos building project. Dr. James Aspesos was a plastic surgeon in the Dayton area. The second project is the AT&T Health Fitness Center and the third project is the Dayton Mental Health Center Building project (DMHC), which makes up the bulk of the series. The DMHC project had three phases and for each phase folders will indicate the phase number of the project. This series consists of correspondence, building inspection reports, legal and financial reports, design plans and blueprints, sketches, notes, specifications, information about contractors and subcontractors, pictures, and material samples.

Series V, Religion, consists of two projects. The first project is the Good Samaritan Chapel which includes correspondence, a sketch, and general notes about the project. The second project covers the Strader- Mousain Church project which includes correspondence, notes, and financial information of the project.

Series VI, City Planning, consists of various city projects. The folders contain correspondence, photographs, negatives, design plans, notes, sketches, magazine, business cards, floppy diskettes, carpet sample, concrete samples, and legal documents. A major project that Smith worked was remodeling a building for CityWide Development Corporation.

Series VII, Architectural Drawings, contains architectural drawings for a variety of projects which will be processed at a later date. These drawings are likely to relate to folders in other series of the collection.

Dates

  • Creation: 1970-2007

Creator

Restrictions on Access

There are no donor-imposed restrictions on access to this collection; however, necessary logistical and preservation restrictions are described below.

Off-site storage: Series VII, Architectural Drawings, is stored off-site, please provide us at least two days advance notice of researching in Series VII of the collection. Call (937) 775-2092 or e-mail us at library-archives-ref@wright.edu.

Electronic records: Access to electronic files in this collection, indicated by an e-number (e.g., ms466_e0001), is restricted until they are fully processed. Requests for unprocessed electronic records can be submitted for consideration, with at least two weeks advance notice. Call (937) 775-2092 or e-mail us at library-archives-ref@wright.edu. Archives staff reserve the right to restrict access to files with privacy or confidentiality concerns or to deny requests in which the review period is insufficient, given the volume of records requested and the desired access date. Access to original electronic media (original CD, floppy disk, etc.) is restricted.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Biography of Smith, Dale, D.

Dale D. Smith, born 12 June 1942 in Greenfield, Indiana, was an architect in the Dayton area. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati School of Architecture, he moved to Dayton to join Richard Levin Associates in 1966. After a brief period in New York, he returned to Dayton in 1970 and became partner in charge of design at Richard Levin Associates, which later became Levin, Porter, Smith, Inc. In 1982 he opened his company, Dale D. Smith Associates, which focused on architecture, planning and interior design. In that same year, he was awarded a Loeb Fellowship in advanced environmental design at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Dale D. Smith Associates worked on projects as diverse as family homes and the Ohio University Grandview Hospital, as well as being involved in commercial building projects all over the Dayton area. Smith also worked as a consultant on a number of commercial projects.

Smith received numerous design awards and honors. He served as chairman of the Dayton Historic Architecture Committee and Dayton's Public Arts Commission. As a strong supporter of the arts, he also served on a number of boards for arts institutions.

Smith died on December 27, 2012.

Extent

105 linear feet (including about 80 linear feet of architectural drawings)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Dale D. Smith was a Dayton, Ohio architect who began working at Richard Levin Associates in 1966 and later founded Dale D. Smith Architects in 1982. The Dale D Smith Architectural Collection comprises architectural drawings, plans and sketches, photographs, notes, correspondence and other paperwork pertaining mainly to projects worked on by Dale D. Smith at Dale D. Smith Associates. Some architectural drawings were created by Smith whilst working as a consultant for other companies.

Statement of Arrangement

The collection is organized into 7 series;

  1. Series I: Commercial
  2. Series II: Residential
  3. Series III: Schools
  4. Series IV: Medical
  5. Series V: Religious
  6. Series VI: City Planning
  7. Series VII: Architectural Drawings

Technical Requirements

A computer will be required to view electronic records.

Acquisition Information

Donated to Special Collections and Archives by Jesse Livesay, 2010

Related Material

MS-153 Pretzinger Architectural Collection

Separated Material

The collection is stored offsite. Please inform the archives 48 hours in advance if you wish to use items in the collection.

Processing Information

The collection was originally in alphabetical order according to project title. It has been re-categorized by project type, e.g commercial, residential, and was then ordered alphabetically by job title. The collection contains a number of material samples, such as carpet tiles and wall tiles; these are stored separately from the folder to which they relate.

Title
Guide to the Dale D. Smith Architectural Collection (MS-466)
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Karis Raeburn, Tim Goins, Rajib Chaudry, 2013
Date
2015
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Revision Statements

  • 2019: Additional processing of architectural drawings by J.B. Schroeder and Lisa Rickey, 2019.

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Wright State University Libraries
Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435-0001 USA
937-775-2092