Download or read book Smith, Hinchman and Grylls written by Thomas J. Holleman and published by . This book was released on 1978-10 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates, Inc., is also the story of the building of Detroit and Michigan. This long-established and respected national firm has designed more of downtown Detroit's buildings than any other company, while it has made a significant mark on architecture throughout the state. The firm has been based in Detroit since 1855, but Thomas J. Holleman and James P. Gallagher trace its history to Sheldon Smith's early practice of architecture in Sandusky, Ohio, in 1853, making it the oldest, continuously operating architectural and engineering practice in the United States. More than 230 photographs of buildings, renderings, floor plans, and documents in this volume illustrate the many remarkable achievements of Smith, Hinchman & Grylls over its 125 years. The authors trace the history of three generations of Smith architects: they describe the firm's incorporation, the wide range of its engineering and architectural achievements, and its expansion into a whole family of companies located in Ann Arbor, Louisville, Chicago, Phoenix, Washington, Toronto, Atlanta, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The practice grew from the days when its major commissions were fine residences, small hotels, and commercial blocks, to the era of skyscrapers and manufacturing plants, and finally to the era of multi-building complexes, space laboratories, and solar collectors here and abroad. Throughout its prestigious history, the firm has demonstrated its readiness to meet any engineering and architectural challenge. Its commissions are now located throughout the United States and in such distant locations as Scotland, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.