Harvey P. Smith:

An Inventory of his Drawings and Field Notes, 1929-1957

Biographical Sketch of Harvey Partridge Smith

Harvey Partridge Smith, noted architect and preservationist, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 2, 1889, the son of Harvey Jay Smith and Carrie (Barnum) Smith. He received his education at the Evanston Academy, Northwestern University, the University of Arizona, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

From 1906 to 1907 he was employed as a draftsman by the Minneapolis firm of Kees and Coburn, one of the city's most progressive architectural offices, and from 1912 to 1913 he worked for Oakland, California architect John J. Donovan. Smith moved to San Antonio in 1915, and was hired by Atlee B. Ayres. He worked for Ayres until 1916 when he moved to the office of Ralph H. Cameron. In 1919 he formed a partnership with Robert B. Kelly, under the name Smith and Kelly, which lasted until 1924 when Smith opened his own office. Among Smith's best known works are the residence for Siamese twins Violet and Daisy Hilton (demolished), the Joske Boy Scout Training Center (1926) and the Sunken Garden Theater in Brackenridge Park (1937), which he designed in association with George Willis and Charles Boelhauwe.

Smith is best remembered for his work in the area of historic preservation. In 1928 he was selected as restoration architect for the Governor's Palace in San Antonio. Long interested in the history of the early Spanish missions in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, Smith used his considerable knowledge to carefully repair the damage done to the building over the centuries. He also aided in locating colonial period furnishings for its interior.

Smith's work on the Governor's Palace led to his selection in 1933 to oversee the restoration project on the Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo in San Antonio. Using historic plans and clues provided by archaeological excavations done in the 1930s, Smith reconstructed the collapsed bell tower of the mission and the nave roof and masonry dome of the church. He also reconstructed much of the mission's larger compound including the monks' cells, the Indian quarters and the granary. In addition to his work on San Jose, Smith was involved in the restoration of Mission San Francisco de la Espada, and in preparing drawings of other surviving colonical structures in San Antonio.

Smith was the author of Romantic San Antonio (1918) and contributed articles to numerous professional journals including California Arts and Architecture, The Monograph, Arts and Archeology, and American Architecture. He married Mary Stone on April 5, 1916. The couple had one son, Harvey Partridge Smith Jr., who joined his father's practice in 1946. Smith was a Presbyterian and a Kiwanian. He died in San Antonio on January 19, 1964 and was buried in Mission Burial Park there.

-Christopher Long

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Scope and Content of the collection

This record group is made up of 169 measured drawings and.08 linear feet of field notes taken by Harvey P. Smith between 1929 and 1957 documenting his work on the 18th century Spanish missions and the Spanish Governor's Palace, all in San Antonio.

During the Depression, Harvey P. Smith was appointed architect in charge of measuring and restoring the missions. His field notes and drawings provide an invaluable record of the condition of these structures, both before and after restoration. This group of drawings documents the following missions as well as the Spanish Governor's Palace: Mission San Jose de Aguayo, Mission San Francisco de la Espada, Mission Concepcion and Mission San Juan de Capistrano.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Access is by appointment only to any serious scholar. Rolled materials must be flattened before viewing. A three day advance notice is required to flatten rolled materials. Portions of this collection are not processed and may not be accessible.

Restrictions on Use

Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the owner of the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Alexander Architectural Archive's Use Policy

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Harvey P. Smith (1889-1964) Drawings and Field Notes, 1929-1957, 18th Century Missions of San Antonio, Texas, the Alexander Architectural Archive, University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin

Processing Information

Lila Knight, drawings, Fall 1981; Beth Dodd, drawings, 2000; Nancy Sparrow, other material, October 1992

Processing is not completed. Please see Archive's staff for more information.

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Other Finding Aids

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References to works by or about Harvey P. Smith (1889-1964)

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

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