[2] The building was named for Robert S. Smith (1886–1966), a native of Clay Center, Kansas who settled in nearby Boring, Oregon, before relocating to Sandy between 1909 and 1911.

[4] The R. S. Smith Motor Building was constructed after Smith shifted from blacksmithing and entered the automobile sales business, opening a Ford Motor Company agency in 1912.

[5] The building was fashioned as an auto sales showroom and garage with a combined service station.

[6] Designed in the Mission Revival architectural style, the building, constructed in 1930, is primarily made of concrete.

[4] In addition to Ford vehicles, Smith would later sell Studebaker models in the 1960s.