Goldwin Goldsmith collection

Born in Paterson, New Jersey on June 12, 1871, Goldwin Goldsmith received his early education in New York City. Following his high school graduation, he worked as an office assistant and draftsman (1888-1890) at the firm of McKim Mead and White which introduced him to the principles of the Beaux-Arts tradition. While working there he decided upon architecture as his chosen profession and accordingly entered the School of Architecture at Columbia University. He graduated in 1896 with a Ph.D. degree. Immediately after graduation he married Gertrude Relief Sumner and took a year's honeymoon in Europe where he pursued graduate study at the Atelier Dusay in Paris. When Goldsmith took breaks from studying, he and his wife toured France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland and England riding a tandem bicycle. The Smithsonian Institution now houses that bicycle.

Upon his return to the United States, Goldsmith established a firm in New York with Joseph Van Vleck, Jr. The firm, Van Vleck and Goldsmith maintained an office at 156 Fifth Avenue and flourished from 1897-1913. Among its designs were: the Young Men's Christian Association (1899), the First Methodist Episcopal Church (1899) and the Madison Building (1906) in Montclair, New Jersey; the Copper Queen Hotel (1902) in Bisbee, Arizona; and residences at 1026, 1027, and 1028 Madison Avenue in New York City.

The early years of the 20th century saw architecture schools springing up at colleges and universities across the Midwest. Administrators looked for teachers among professional architects in the East who were well versed in the principles of the Ecole des Beaux- Arts, the premiere architecture school at that time. In 1912 the University of Kansas called upon Goldsmith to establish its architectural engineering degree program. He did so in late 1913, and in 1920 started the architecture degree program at KU within its School of Engineering.

Goldsmith's success at the University of Kansas (1913-28) earned him a national reputation in the field of architectural education. He served as Vice-President (1925-1927) and President (1927-1929) of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and was responsible for drafting their "minimum standards," the precursor to the accreditation program now in existence.

In 1928, the University of Texas at Austin hired Goldsmith as Chairman of its Architecture Department. During his tenure, the Department of Architecture's curriculum was increased from a four-year to a five-year program and a new building (designed by Paul Cret) was completed. Goldsmith resigned as chairman of the department in 1935 to devote more time to his passion for teaching. His course in specifications was highly regarded for its rigor and he authored a book, Architects Specifications: How To Write Them, 1935, which became the standard text for the course. He donated the proceeds of this book to the scholarship fund of the American Institute of Architects.

Goldsmith's professional services included: member of the AIA Advisory Council on Specifications (1911), President of the Central Texas Chapter of the AIA (1938-1939), member of President Hoover's Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership (1931-1932).

In June 1955, at the age of 84, Goldsmith retired into the rank of Emeritus Professor of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. He died on January 7, 1962 in Fort Worth.

(Source: A History of the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas 1868-1988, James O. Maloney, University of Kansas, 1989, pp. 51-63