Richard Sharp Smith (July 7, 1853 – February 8, 1924) was an English-born American architect, noted for his association with George W. Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate and Asheville, North Carolina.

[1][2] Smith worked for some of America's important architectural firms of the late 19th century—Richard Morris Hunt, Bradford Lee Gilbert, and Reid & Reid—before establishing his practice in Asheville.

In contrast, Smith used reinforced concrete construction for a significant number of commercial and public buildings in downtown Asheville and courthouses for Henderson, Jackson, Madison, and Swain Counties.

This allowed Smith to focus on clients and creative design, while Carrier managed the mechanical and structural engineering aspects of their projects.

[3][4]: 8.5  In 1889, Hunt assigned Smith to be the supervising architect for George W. Vanderbilt's Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina.

[3][7] Biltmore was planned to be more than the largest home in America; it was also to be a working estate with expansive grounds designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

[8]: 19  Smith also designed River Cliff Cottage in 1892 as a place for Vanderbilt's friends to stay during the construction of the main house.

[8]: 43  Smith also renovated the Benjamin Julius Alexander Brick Farmhouse, an existing antebellum structure on the property, to serve as Vanderbilt's residence during the construction of Biltmore.

[8]: 36  On October 30, 1891, Smith wrote Hunt:This day I send you by express blueprints of Vegetable Garden Walls for your approval.

In the spring of 1896, Smith wrote a letter to an associate indicating his plans to depart Biltmore for a proposed trip to Europe, after which he would return to Asheville and set up his architectural practice.

Smith wrote, “So far as Estate work is concerned, I am unable to say as Mr. Hunt wishes me to stay until everything is completed at Biltmore House”.

[8]: 113 Smith was on-site at Biltmore from the start of construction in the summer of 1890 through essentially the house's completion in the fall of 1896[8]: 113  However, through his new practice, he would remain Vanderbilt's architect of choice for decades.

[12] Vanderbilt also commissioned the Young Man's Institute (YMI) the first building Smith designed in Asheville proper.

[10] The YMI was a recreational center for Asheville's African Americans, many of whom worked for Vanderbilt, and also included space for shops and a doctor on the first floor.

[13] In another project for Vanderbilt, Smith designed five large rental cottages, actually mansions, across the Swannanoa River on Vernon Hill overlooking Biltmore.

[7] Biltmore Estate's Curator of Interpretation said, “Two beautiful examples of Richard Sharp Smith’s residential style—the Annie West House at 189 Chestnut Street in Chestnut Hill and the Charles Jordan House at 296 Montford Avenue—include pebbledash stucco, archways, and rooflines, much like his buildings in Biltmore Village.”[7] The Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County describes Smith's "true legacy to Asheville as his signature 'Biltmore-style' with its blend of English Arts and Craft styling combined with Elizabethan Tudor and Old World influences.

[15]: 8.37–8.38 Around 1905, Smith began working with Albert Heath Carrier (1878–1961), a Michigan-born engineer and inventor who moved to Asheville in 1884.

[10][3][11][16][4]: 8.8  Carrier looked after the mechanical and structural engineering aspects of their projects, freeing Smith to be creative and to pursue more clients.

[7] Smith was a practical choice for these institutional structures; he was the first architect in the region to utlize fire-proof reinforced concrete construction.

[10] Smith donated his services to design a monument for former North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance as the centerpiece to Asheville's Pack Square.

[21][20] With more than thirty structures designed by Smtith, the Montford Area Historic District in Asheville has the greatest concentration of Smith's buildings outside of Biltmore Village.

[3] They had four children—Emily, Sylvia, Hampden, and Richard Jr.[2][5] Initially, the family lived in a rental house near downtown Asheville and on Blake Street in the Montford neighborhood.

[4]: 8.6 In 1902, Smith purchased 27 acres (11 ha) at the head of Chunns Cove, east of downtown Asheville, for $1,000 (equivalent to $33,823 in 2022).

[4]: 8.6  The Asheville Citizen-Times wrote, “The quiet forms and rustic character of the house—the home of his family—most likely exist as an expression of Smith’s personality and his family life.

[4]: 8.7  However, Smith loved the outdoors and was known to walk the 3 miles (4.8 km) over Beaucatcher Mountain from his house to Asheville, rather than using the family carriage or car.