SmithGroup is an international architectural, engineering and planning firm. Established in 1853 by architect Sheldon Smith, SmithGroup is the longest continually operating architecture and engineering firm in the United States that is not a wholly owned subsidiary.[1] The firm's name was changed to Field, Hinchman & Smith in 1903, and it was renamed Smith, Hinchman & Grylls in 1907.[2] In 2000, the firm changed its name to SmithGroup. In 2011, the firm incorporated its sister firm, JJR, into its name, becoming SmithGroupJJR. As of August 1, 2018, the firm changed its name back to SmithGroup.[3]
SmithGroup was founded in 1853 by Sheldon Smith, a self-taught architect.[4] He opened an office in Ohio, then moved to Detroit in 1855.[5] Smith's son Mortimer became a partner in the firm in 1861, and took over for his father after the latter's death in 1869. Mortimer's son Fred joined the firm in 1881, and led the firm after Mortimer's death in 1896.[5] At this time, Fred brought in two University of Michigan College of Engineering graduates, Henry G. Field and Theodore H. Hinchman, Jr. The firm's name was changed to Field, Hinchman & Smith in 1903.[5]
In 1907, H.J. Maxwell Grylls, a British-trained architect, joined the firm, and the name changed to Smith, Hinchman and Grylls (SH+G).[5][4] In the 1920s, Smith, Hinchman and Grylls, and architect Wirt C. Rowland, designed some of Detroit’s most notable skyscrapers. In 1945, Minoru Yamasaki, American architect best known for designing the original World Trade Center, joined the firm as Director of Design.[5]
Later years saw Smith, Hinchman and Grylls merge with other firms. In 1971, the firm merged with Johnson, Johnson & Roy (JJR), expanding the firm’s capabilities in landscape architecture, civil engineering and environmental science.[6] In 1996, Smith, Hinchman and Grylls merged with the Washington DC firm of Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon[7] and in 1998 they merged with Stone Marraccini & Patterson of San Francisco and Los Angeles.[8] In 2000, Tobey + Davis, Reston, Virginia, joined Smith, Hinchman and Grylls.[9]
In 2000, the firm changed its name to SmithGroup.[10]
Reputation
As of 2019, it ranks among the top 50 architecture firms according to Architect, the official magazine of AIA[11] and is ranked as the eighth largest architecture/engineering firm in the U.S.[12]
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