Buildings Back When: The Arthur W. Smith Building

When making a visit to campus, it’s hard to miss the Arthur W. Smith building, painted a brilliant white with its shining glass front door, welcoming stoop and columns. Nestled next to a beautiful magnolia tree, the building is well kept and manicured. The interior is nicely decorated with antiques that are historically significant items from Rabun Gap’s long history, such as founder and president Andrew Ritchie’s desk, a spinning wheel, and black and white photos from days long gone by. The Advancement, Business, and Facilities offices call this building home and much of the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the school functioning happens within its walls.

Rewind to 1956 and you find that the building was originally built for a much different purpose. What is now an elegant building that acts as one of the first impressions newcomers receive when they come to campus, the Arthur W. Smith building served as the hub for the Industrial Arts until the building’s renovation in 2017. Instead of finding pristine antiques and tidy offices like one does today, the building housed all manner of tools, spare wood, and machines used to build and create. It acted as an ideal space for students to learn woodworking and metal working skills, among other things. Student projects could be found around the space in various stages of development, and sawdust covered the floor. The sound of saws and hammers permeated the space as students learned the art of creating and constructing from talented instructors like Mr. Thomas Poe (1952-1958), Rev. Charles McDonald (1958-1959), Mr. Kenneth Fraley (1959-1960), Mr. Claude Diamond (1960-1963), Mr. Robert Wild (1964-1972), and Mr. Dess Oliver (1971-2014).

The legacy of these instructors is still an important element of the educational offerings here at Rabun Gap. The Industrial Arts, which is now encompassed in our STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math) program, now take place in the Dess Oliver STEAM Center, located next door to the Arthur W. Smith Building. This state-of-the-art facility includes space for woodworking, metalworking, computer science, 3D printing, electrical engineering, welding, and so much more.

The Industrial Arts were initially located in the basement of the Emily Winship Woodruff Memorial building, which now houses the Evelyne Sheats Lower School. The Arthur W. Smith Building was built under the supervision of Mr. Thomas Poe and classes were first held in the new building in September of 1956. Poe acted as contractor and in many places, where skilled labor wasn’t required, students worked to construct the large brick structure. The larger space allowed the school to expand what could be taught to students and provided a space for night classes for adults. The building is dedicated to Mr. Arthur W. Smith, a former trustee of the school, an artist and architect who had an important role in the design.