Owen and Dorothy Smith House
The Owen and Dorothy Smith House is significant for its Modernist architectural design. Architect Owen Smith’s remarkable 74-year career in architecture and related building trades began in1938 with his graduation from North Carolina State College and concluded with his death in 2012. While he is considered a Modernist, he was fully capable of working in other styles as directed by clients. For his own home he chose Modernism. The house is an excellent and intact example of the softer, Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced, “humanist” mode of Modernism that occurred in Raleigh in the 1950s. Its board-and-batten siding and Wake County stone create an approachable and organic feeling and present a distinctive façade. The house integrates with nature through formal garden spaces, naturalistic landscaping, window walls, walkways, loggia, and a screened porch.
Date: 1959
