Chloethiel Woodard Smith
Encyclopedia
Chloethiel Woodard Smith (February 2, 1910 – December 30, 1992) was an American architect and urban planner
whose career was centered in Washington, D.C.
and the Waterview Townhouses in Reston, Virginia
, some of which have spiral steps that descend into a lake. At a key intersection in downtown Washington - the corner of Connecticut Avenue and L Street NW - Smith designed three of the four office buildings there; architects and critics have referred to the intersection as "Chloethiel's Corner."
Smith was influential in proposing a national museum celebrating buildings and architecture and successfully proposed the renovation of the Pension Building to serve as home to the National Building Museum
.
By 1967, Smith ran the largest female-run architectural firm in the United States. At the end of her career in the late 1980s, nearly 30% of architects working in Washington, D.C. had come through her office. The percentage would be much higher if the firms that she was a partner in are included. Notable architects Arthur Cotton Moore
and Hugh Newell Jacobsen
worked for her.
Smith was offended all of her life by the term "woman architect". She felt it demeaned her work and ability as an architect. She fortunately lived long enough to see the term fall into disuse. Through it all she stubbornly refused to be a part of any women's group. Her rise to the upper echelon of the profession had preceded the Women's Rights Movement
. Her name is not as well known by the general public as those of her contemporaries, yet she is considered to be a master whose successful career spanned five decades.
, the sixth woman so honored.
In 1989, the Washington chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarded her its Centennial Award for "continuous service to the chapter, the community and the profession."
Urban planner
An urban planner or city planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning/land use planning for the purpose of optimizing the effectiveness of a community's land use and infrastructure. They formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically...
whose career was centered in Washington, D.C.
Career
Smith was responsible for significant project commissions and was selected to serve on various committees that influenced the shaping of post-World War II Washington, D.C. She designed Harbour Square in Southwest Washington, the National Airport Metro stationRonald Reagan Washington National Airport (Washington Metro)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a Washington Metro station in Arlington, Virginia on the Blue and Yellow Lines. The station platform is elevated and covered and is the last above ground station on the Yellow Line in Virginia, heading into Washington, D.C...
and the Waterview Townhouses in Reston, Virginia
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
, some of which have spiral steps that descend into a lake. At a key intersection in downtown Washington - the corner of Connecticut Avenue and L Street NW - Smith designed three of the four office buildings there; architects and critics have referred to the intersection as "Chloethiel's Corner."
Smith was influential in proposing a national museum celebrating buildings and architecture and successfully proposed the renovation of the Pension Building to serve as home to the National Building Museum
National Building Museum
The National Builders Museum, in Washington, D.C., United States, is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning"...
.
By 1967, Smith ran the largest female-run architectural firm in the United States. At the end of her career in the late 1980s, nearly 30% of architects working in Washington, D.C. had come through her office. The percentage would be much higher if the firms that she was a partner in are included. Notable architects Arthur Cotton Moore
Arthur Cotton Moore
Arthur Cotton Moore is an architect in Washington, D.C.. Born in 1935, he grew up in the Kalomara district of Washington, and after attending St. Albans School studied architecture at Princeton University. He received an Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1977 and became a...
and Hugh Newell Jacobsen
Hugh Newell Jacobsen
Hugh Newell Jacobsen is a prominent United States architect.-Education and early career:Hugh Newell Jacobsen was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1929. Educated at the University of Maryland, he received a BA in 1951. He also attended the Architectural Association School of Architecture in...
worked for her.
Death and legacy
Chloethiel Woodard Smith died of cancer on December 30, 1992 at The Georgetown, a residential facility for senior citizens where she lived. She was 82.Smith was offended all of her life by the term "woman architect". She felt it demeaned her work and ability as an architect. She fortunately lived long enough to see the term fall into disuse. Through it all she stubbornly refused to be a part of any women's group. Her rise to the upper echelon of the profession had preceded the Women's Rights Movement
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
. Her name is not as well known by the general public as those of her contemporaries, yet she is considered to be a master whose successful career spanned five decades.
Awards
In 1960, Chloethiel Woodard Smith was inducted as a Fellow into the American Institute of ArchitectsAmerican Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
, the sixth woman so honored.
In 1989, the Washington chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarded her its Centennial Award for "continuous service to the chapter, the community and the profession."
Selected works
- Miller Residence, Rockville, MarylandRockville, MarylandRockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, 1947–48 - American Embassy, chancery and residence, Asunción, Paraguay, 1955–59
- Chestnut Lodge Mental Hospital and Research Institute, Rockville, MarylandRockville, MarylandRockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, 1955–75 - Capitol Park Apartments and Townhouses (since 2006 Potomac Place Tower), Southwest, Washington, D.C., 1958–68
- Washington Channel Waterfront Master Plan, Washington, D.C., 1960–62
- Brook House, Brookline, MassachusettsBrookline, MassachusettsBrookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, 1961–62 - Harcourt, Brace, and World, Inc., bookstore and executive offices, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, 1962–68 - E Street Expressway, 23rd to 19th Avenues, Washington, D.C., 1962
- Crown Tower, New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, 1962 - Laclede Town, St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, 1962–65 - Waterview Townhouses, Reston, VirginiaReston, VirginiaReston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
, 1962–65 - Onondaga Lake Master Plan, Onondaga County, New YorkOnondaga County, New YorkOnondaga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 467,026. The county seat is Syracuse.Onondaga County is part of the Syracuse, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, 1964 - Shaw School, Washington, D.C., 1964
- 1100 Connecticut Avenue, office building, Washington, D.C., 1964–66
- Blake Building, 1025 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C., 1964–66
- Waterside – Town Center, Washington, D.C., 1964–71
- Washington Channel Bridge (Ponte Vecchio), shopping bridge, Washington, D.C., 1965–68
- Skyline Study, Washington, D.C., 1965
- St. Andrews Episcopal Church, College Park, MarylandCollege Park, MarylandCollege Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
, 1965 - Mississippi Delta Feasibility Study, 1965
- F Street Plaza, Washington, D.C., 1965–66
- Harbour Square Apartments and Townhouses, Washington, D.C., 1965–67
- Pension Building, New Use Study, Washington, D.C., 1966
- Spa Creek, Townhouse group, Annapolis, MarylandAnnapolis, MarylandAnnapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, 1966 - Averne, Master Plan for Seven Towns on the Oceanfront, Borough of Queens, New YorkQueensQueens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, 1967 - Wilde Lake High Rise, Columbia, MarylandColumbia, MarylandColumbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, not...
, 1969 - Consolidated Federal Law Enforcement Training, Beltsville, MarylandBeltsville, MarylandBeltsville is a census-designated place in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,691 at the 2000 census. Beltsville includes the unincorporated community of Vansville.-Geography:...
, 1969–70 - Universalist Church, Rochester, New YorkRochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, 1970 - Intown, Rochester, New YorkRochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, 1970–71 - National Airport Metro station (since 2001 Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station)Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Washington Metro)Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a Washington Metro station in Arlington, Virginia on the Blue and Yellow Lines. The station platform is elevated and covered and is the last above ground station on the Yellow Line in Virginia, heading into Washington, D.C...
, Arlington County, VirginiaArlington County, VirginiaArlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
, 1971 - D.C. Association for Retarded Children, Occupational Training Center, Washington, D.C., 1973
- Washington Square, Washington, D.C., 1987–88
Selected articles
- "She Makes the City a Place for Living." Business Week, 3 June 1967, 76-80.
- McLendon, Winzola. "Architect Designs No Ivory Towers." The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, 30 July 1967, E1, E5. - Bailey, Anthony. "Profiles: Through the Great City III." The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, August 1967, 59-63. - Von Eckardt, Wolf. "That Exceptional One." The WashingtonianWashingtonian (magazine)Washingtonian is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, DC area since 1965. The magazine describes itself as "the magazine Washington lives by." The magazine's core focuses are local feature journalism, guide book-style articles, and real estate advice.-Editorial Content:Washingtonian...
, September 1988, 79-80. - Forgey, Benjamin. "On Chloethiel's Corner." The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, 1 January 1993, D1, D8. - Willis, Beverly, FAIA. "Tribute." National Building Museum Blueprints, no. XI (Spring 1993): 15.