Cass Calder Smith
Encyclopedia
Cass Calder Smith is an internationally recognized American architect. He and his firm, CCS Architecture are known for high-profile restaurant designs in San Francisco, California
, and New York City
.
in 1961. His father is Howard Smith
, a journalist and academy-award winning documentary film director. His mother is a California landscape painter and designer.
Smith grew up in the West Village in the 1960s, attending Public School 41. His parents divorced when he was ten, and in 1972 he moved with his mother and younger brother Zacchary, first to a commune in Rockland County, New York, then later to the Star Hill Academy for Anything, a commune near Woodside, California
that was later home to musician Neil Young
. The site had no running water or electricity, but it included the landowner's former lumber yard. Smith was out of school for several years, and spent the time building housing structures out of abandoned lumber. He attended high school in the Sierra Foothills and earned an undergraduate architecture degree from University of California, Berkeley
. He supported himself as a carpenter during college, progressing from small jobs to complete design projects. He formed his own design and construction company after college, which he wound down to attend graduate school.
Aesthetically, he is known for clean, modernist design aesthetic.
In 2008 Smith was appointed to the San Francisco Arts Commission
. In 2005 his firm opened a New York office. As of 2009 the firm employs approximately 20 people.
San Francisco:
Elsewhere
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Early life
Smith was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1961. His father is Howard Smith
Howard Smith (director)
Howard Smith is an Oscar winning film director, producer, journalist, screenwriter, actor, and radio broadcaster.-Early career:Howard Smith started his career as a photographer...
, a journalist and academy-award winning documentary film director. His mother is a California landscape painter and designer.
Smith grew up in the West Village in the 1960s, attending Public School 41. His parents divorced when he was ten, and in 1972 he moved with his mother and younger brother Zacchary, first to a commune in Rockland County, New York, then later to the Star Hill Academy for Anything, a commune near Woodside, California
Woodside, California
Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It uses a council-manager system of government. The U.S. Census estimated the population of the town to be 5,287 in 2010....
that was later home to musician Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
. The site had no running water or electricity, but it included the landowner's former lumber yard. Smith was out of school for several years, and spent the time building housing structures out of abandoned lumber. He attended high school in the Sierra Foothills and earned an undergraduate architecture degree from University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He supported himself as a carpenter during college, progressing from small jobs to complete design projects. He formed his own design and construction company after college, which he wound down to attend graduate school.
Career
Smith established his architecture firm, CCS Architecture, in 1990. Smith's career designing restaurants started with Restaurant Lulu, one of the landmark restaurants in the early 1990s San Francisco dining scene. During his last semester at graduate school then-roommate Reed Hearon, an aspiring chef, was working with restaurateur Rowena Wu to open a restaurant in a former warehouse in San Francisco's SOMA district. Smith was awarded the commission, and the final design attracted much attention.Aesthetically, he is known for clean, modernist design aesthetic.
In 2008 Smith was appointed to the San Francisco Arts Commission
San Francisco Arts Commission
The San Francisco Arts Commission is the official San Francisco County, USA arts council.The San Francisco Arts Commission It was established in 1932 and runs under the California state arts council, the California Arts Council . The commission is appointed by the major...
. In 2005 his firm opened a New York office. As of 2009 the firm employs approximately 20 people.
Projects
Projects for which Smith is known include:San Francisco:
- Lulu, his first restaurant project
- Azie, near Lulu (closed and renovated in 2010)
- La Mar Cebicheraria Peruana, on the Embarcadero
- Terzo, in Cow Hollow
- Perbacco, in the Financial District
- Rose Pistola, in North Beach
- Delica RF-1, in the Ferry BuildingFerry BuildingThe San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay and a shopping center located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. On top of the building is a large clock tower, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city...
- Lettüs, in Cow Hollow
- Tavern on the GreenTavern on the GreenTavern on the Green was a privately owned American cuisine restaurant located in Central Park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in New York City. It remained in operation from 1934 to 2009 under various owners...
, in Yerba Buena GardensYerba Buena GardensYerba Buena Gardens is the name for two blocks of public parks located between Third and Fourth, Mission and Folsom Streets in downtown San Francisco, California. The first block bordered by Mission and Howard Streets was opened in 1993. The second block, between Howard and Folsom Streets was...
(project abandoned) - 25 Lusk, in SoMaSomaSoma , or Haoma , from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the subsequent Vedic and greater Persian cultures. It is frequently mentioned in the Rigveda, whose Soma Mandala contains 114 hymns, many praising its energizing qualities...
, a large restaurant built in a converted meat packing plant
Elsewhere
- Reposado, Palo Alto
- Zibibbo, Palo Alto
- Wild Goose, Lake TahoeLake TahoeLake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
- Straits, in Santana RowSantana RowSantana Row is an upscale shopping, residential, dining and entertainment complex in San Jose, California. Westfield Valley Fair is located just to its north, on the other side of Stevens Creek Boulevard, and the Winchester Mystery House just to the west, across Winchester Boulevard.- Stores...
, San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay... - Hyatt Regency bar in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
- Townline BBQ, in The Hamptons
- Lake Chalet, in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
- Whitebark Restaurant, Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth Lakes, California
External links
- CCS Architecture official site
- news blog - for the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...