M. Carlton Smith Architectural Drawings Collection

Marion Carlton Smith (1905-1984) was born in Broad Ripple, near Indianapolis, Indiana, to Rosa Middleton Smith and David Reubin Smith. During summers in high school, he worked for both his high school math teacher and his father, where he gained practical knowledge in construction through carpentry and concrete work. By the time Smith graduated from Broad Ripple High School in 1924, his interest in architecture was evident. Although he never received a formal education in architecture, he gained his knowledge from working in local architecture firms and eventually opened his own firm. His first job in the field of architecture was with Henry L. Simons Company, a firm that was exceptionally active in the realm of high-end residential work.

He left the H. L. Simons Company to work for Edward James, a prominent Indianapolis architect. James encouraged Smith to apply for his architect’s license, which he did in 1930 when he became the 291st architect registered in Indiana. Smith continued to work for James in the early 1930s and then worked with architect Virgil Hoagland from 1935 to 1936. Smith opened his firm in 1937 as a sole proprietorship using the professional name M. Carlton Smith. Throughout World War II many architects struggled to keep their businesses open when residential and small business commissions were scarce. During this time Smith worked for Lukas-Harold Corporation at the Naval Ordnance Plant in Indianapolis.

After World War II, Smith returned to Edward James Associates. He helped to design the Women’s Dormitory Building at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and other residential projects throughout Indianapolis, including the Arden, Windcombe, Brendonwood, and Wellington Estates subdivisions. He also designed several residences along Meridian Street in Indianapolis.

Smith primarily worked independently but was known to work on projects with architect Orville Williamson and Virgil C. Hoagland. He hired his brother Floyd Smith, Charles D. Ward, and Rollin Shuttleworth to work as architects and draftsmen at his firm. The collective body of Smith’s work is comprised of primarily high-end residences, with few commercial renovations.

M. Carlton Smith was not a member of any civic organizations, but he was affiliated with the American Institute of Architects, the Construction League, and the Producers League. Smith married Mary Virginia Hendershott Smith and they had a son, Gregory Lee Smith, in 1930. Smith never officially closed the firm, as he used it to help his son Gregory become a designer and builder. M. Carlton Smith died on September 2, 1984.