He was a prolific designer of picture theatres and public buildings in Adelaide and regional South Australia during the 1920s and 1930s, and is recognised as one of the leading South Australian exponents of the Art Deco style.
His father Thomas Edwin Smith was a sailor and then labourer, his mother Elizabeth Ellen Williams was likely illiterate, and Chris was the youngest of six sons.
[1] Smith had no formal architectural training, but was a prolific designer of cinemas and public buildings in Adelaide and regional South Australia during the 1920s and 1930s, and is recognised as one of the leading South Australian exponents of the Art Deco style.
5, he built an Art Deco style home on that property’s tennis court, including a garage with his office and studio above facing Carter Street,[1] in 1938.
Smith also designed the Wonderview Theatre at Victor Harbor, which was opened in December 1923, was later used as a dance hall, and has since been demolished.