Josue Smith Solar - Master Architect of the City

Few architects have the chance to leave an indelible mark in the creation of a city. Such is the case of Josue Smith Solar, the architect and engineer behind some of the most emblematic urban plans and buildings in Chile in the XX century.

Josué Smith Solar was born in Chillán, South of Chile, in 1867, son of the American landowner Silas Baldwin Smith and his Chilean wife, Leonor Solar. After the death of his father, young Josue and his mother moved to Santiago, where Josue attended the Sacred Hearts School.

In 1885, when he was 18, Josue travelled to the United States to study architecture at the Polytechnic University of Philadelphia, earning his architecture degree in 1888.

In 1889 Josue decided to travel to Paris to visit the World Exhibition, and later extended his trip, travelling by bike to several cities in Italy, Germany and Russia. This trip would round off his architectural knowledge, drenching him in the different styles, movements, trends and technologies he found, and which later on would become part of his personal hallmark.

In 1891 Josue returns to the United States and opens his first architect office in Wilmington. At the same time, he begins a Masters of Architecture in the University of Philadelphia under the wing of the renown architect Theophilus P. Chandler.

Theophilus P. Chandler Jr.

Smith Solar’s first commissions were interior designs for stores, some homes, drawings for other projects, and also as a photographer and poster illustrator.

In 1893 he married Cecilia Miller, and a year later, at age 27, he’s convinced to travel to Chile to work as an engineer in the incipient construction of the train across the Andes.

What started as a trip of a few months ended up becoming a permanent residency, when his work and experience began to be in high demand at a moment in which the country and its capital city went through a demographic and economic boom.

His double experience as engineer and architect earned him well-deserved respect from his local peers.

Smith Solar & Smith Miller Office

His dominion of the popular styles Tudor revival and Victorian Gothic made him an instant favourite of the high society, receiving multiple commissions for chalets, houses, palaces and hotels in these styles, some of which are still standing.

Among the works of this time we can highlight the Gran Hotel Papudo, Casa Ortúzar in Zapallar, Chalet Recart in Papudo, the beach resorts in Viña del Mar and Cartagena, as well as his replica of the Knochenbaueramthaus House (1924), inspired by an original of 1529 located in Germany.

Knochenbaueramthaus House

Chalet Recart

In 1922, Josue associates with his son, José Smith Miller, conforming thus the office of Smith Solar & Smith Miller. Together they would be in charge of creating some of the most important residencies and buildings of their time, such as the Club Hípico de Santiago (1923), Casa Ferrada (1923), the Alessandri Rodríguez palace (1930), the Universidad Federico Santa María in Valparaíso (1931), the Carrera Hotel (1940) and the Santiago College (1931) nowadays a faculty of the Universidad Santo Tomás.

Alessandri Rodriguez Palace

Casa Ferrada

Santiago College

Santiago College, interior.

One of the hallmarks of the Smith Solar & Smith Miller office was the use of new materials. The seating galleries of the Club Hípico was the first example of reinforced concrete construction in the country, a material that was used again in the construction of the Universidad Federico Santa María in Viña del Mar.

Club Hipico de Santiago

Universidad Federico Santa Maria

The quality of Smith Solar’s buildings is reflected even in the smallest of details, such as gargoyles, railings and wrought iron lattices for windows and gates. Nothing escaped Solar-Smith’s sharp eye, imprinting his style and good taste to every corner of his projects.

One of the most cherished projects of this architect was his own family home, finished in 1923 and located in the then-fashionable avenida República. Of Tudor revival and Victorian Gothic style, the two-story house exterior exhibits an ample levelled garden (a novelty at the time) as well as fine interiors with mouldings and fine wood finishes.

Equally important were his remodelling commissions, among which are the remodelling of the frontis of the Palacio de la Moneda (the Presidential Palace) and the remodelling of the frontis of the Basilica of the Saviour.

His last projects reflect an Art Deco influence, the favoured style of the time, as well as a tendency to focus on engineering commissions rather than architecture.

Puente del Arzobispo, 1940

Josué Smith Solar died in 1938, leaving behind a valuable legacy of architecture, engineering and urban planning, all of which not only set the foundations for modern architecture in the country but also rose the standards of architectural achievement, inspiring new generations of architects to continue his work and follow in his steps.