Albert “Smitty” Smith III ’69 is a highly recognized Harlem-based architect whose journey to Hotchkiss began in the South Bronx after he was selected for the School’s inaugural Greater Opportunity (GO) Program. For more than 40 years, Smith has made significant, creative, and affordable architectural contributions to New York City’s urban residents. 

“I fell in love with housing rehabilitation,” he said. “I have rehabilitated over 100 residential buildings throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, and I have worked in all HPD Housing Rehab Programs since 1986. Additionally, I have worked on private residential homes, commercial, theater, restaurant, and church renovations. During my 40 years of practice, I have seen the benefits of revitalizing the blighted communities throughout the city. Currently, we are working collectively to upgrade the energy efficiency of many buildings that were rehabbed 15 or more years ago to improve the livability of the housing stock.”

Greater Opportunity at Hotchkiss

The GO Program was established at Hotchkiss 61 years ago by Father David P. Kern to provide teenage boys from disadvantaged backgrounds with a transformative academic and cultural experience. “I arrived at Hotchkiss on a bus with 50 other boys from various parts of New York City. Passing through the Scoville Gate, up that tree-lined drive past the architecturally beautiful Coy and Buehler dormitories, I realized I had entered a whole new world,” he said.

Smith lived near his public school, Alexander Burger Junior High School (PS139), in the South Bronx. His route traversed busy Willis Avenue, requiring him to pass through a block facing significant challenges, including drug activity and a gang presence. “Coming from that environment, I was initially dumbfounded and overwhelmed by Hotchkiss. It was a completely positive environment, with a full assortment of academic and athletic facilities, surrounded by a professional-grade golf course. It had a faculty of outstanding, highly committed teachers and an ideal location in the bucolic hills of Lakeville. In my mind, Hotchkiss was perfect.”

He remembers that the boys in the GO Program were assigned to academic classes based on test results and evaluations by the program’s administrators. The boys were also organized into groups named after Native American tribes for socialization and team-building. “Our days were highly structured to ensure that we were fully engaged academically, athletically, and socially. For me, the best takeaway from the program was the opportunity to see better, do better, want better, and work hard to get better. GO was truly a golden opportunity.”

Prior to Hotchkiss, Smith attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, an all-male school with strong academic and athletic programs. The advent of open enrollment brought new complexities that challenged the school’s culture. “My focus and grades began to decline,” he said. “I had a strong bond with many of my boyhood friends who also attended DeWitt Clinton, but only Robert ‘Doc’ Woodbine ’69 and I were beneficiaries of the GO Program. We had been together through elementary and junior high and remain best friends today. Fortunately for us, the social, political, and racial climates in the country in the summer of 1968 were in transition, and racial equality and inclusion were front-burner issues for many educational institutions, including Hotchkiss.” The Hotchkiss admission office, in conjunction with the GO Program and the summer school teaching staff, offered Smith and Woodbine spots in the Class of 1969 as seniors.

It was a year of tremendous impact. “As a young 17-year-old Black American, I felt enormous pride to have been selected to attend Hotchkiss, but I also felt pride to serve as a role model. My parents were extremely proud, and I felt a responsibility to succeed—empowered to do whatever I chose with my life simply because Hotchkiss had given me a chance. I felt an enormous responsibility to demonstrate to my new school community that I was as well-prepared for life at and after Hotchkiss and deserving of my seat among them.”  

He recalls that there were many outstanding teachers and mentors at Hotchkiss. “But by far my most favored teacher was George Stone. He had a way of teaching math that made it feel as natural as breathing.”

Making an Impact Through Architecture

For college, Smith decided on Wesleyan, which at the time was an all-male institution with a liberal identity and a growing Black student population. He received a generous financial aid package. “It felt like a larger version of Hotchkiss. It was a perfect fit for me.”

Smith took advantage of Wesleyan’s extensive liberal arts curriculum. While he initially intended to become an artist, he decided to major in architecture to acquire a more useful skill set and the ability to make a greater community impact. He then attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, receiving a master's degree in 1976.

During graduate school, Smith worked part-time for a small nonprofit community housing development organization, West Harlem Group Assistance Inc. (WHGA), where he cultivated his interest in rehabilitating residential buildings. It morphed into full-time employment, and he spent several years learning the intricacies of housing rehabilitation in occupied buildings.

From there, he transitioned to another nonprofit, the Wildcat Service Corporation, which provided work-structured opportunities for hard-to-employ people, mostly people of color. “It was a difficult job, but I loved it because I felt empowered to help other people get a ‘greater opportunity,’ much like the one I had with the Hotchkiss GO Program,” he said.

William Ince, a highly respected minority professional engineer with the New York City Housing Authority, hired Smith as project architect for the rehabilitation of two adjacent six-story tenement houses to be combined into one building. “I have worked in all HPD Housing Rehab Programs since 1986. Most of my work was done with nonprofit community housing development companies, most notably with WHGA, where I did five major rehab projects, contributing significantly to the rehabilitation of Central and West Harlem communities.”

He cites a project for Ince Development Corporation as his most meaningful. “The conversion of Sydenham Hospital into 100 units of senior housing was highly controversial because many in the community wanted it to remain a hospital. But the city decided to close this brick building on a corner lot at Manhattan Avenue between 123rd and 124th Streets. Ince unexpectedly passed away, and as project design architect, I completed the challenging project.”

Among his many social and professional successes, Smith is most proud of his three daughters, Natasha, Jade, and Sierra. “I have watched them grow into wonderful, loving, respectful women.”

Smith has been a person who serves others. He has served on community organization boards, sponsored and coached local youth and pro-am basketball teams, and mentored young people and aspiring architects. “The genesis of that trait starts with my mother. She had six children and worked hard to take care of us. She always extended herself to help others, including family members, neighbors, and her church family. Observing her, I felt compelled to emulate her.”

Over the years, Smith has had the privilege of mentoring several young architects and developers. “My advice to them is to prepare for a long and arduous career journey, but one that is worth the effort and can leave you satisfied with your choice. So, plan your work, and then work your plan.”