Smith Mansion (Wyoming)
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| Smith Mansion | |
|---|---|
 The Smith Mansion, overlooking the Wapiti Valley (photographed January 2023) | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Incomplete |
| Location | Wapiti, Wyoming |
| Address | 2902 North Fork Highway, |
| Coordinates | 44°27′40″N 109°29′39″W / 44.46111°N 109.49417°W |
| Construction started | 1971 |
| Construction stopped | 1992 (Death of architect) |
| Height | 75 ft (22.9 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 321 m2 (3,450 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Francis Lee Smith |
| Known for | Distinctive architecture, prominence compared to surrounding valley, mystery around death of architect. |
The Smith Mansion, also known as the Smith Family Cabin, is a large, prominent structure standing at roughly 75 ft (22.9 m) in the Wapiti Valley in Wapiti, Wyoming. The mansion can be easily spotted if traveling down the North Fork Highway towards Yellowstone National Park, due to its towering, dark and intimidating architectural style. It takes the form of a large log tower, with sections seemingly tacked on haphazardly, although the tower is very stable.
History
Francis Lee Smith
Francis Lee Smith was born January 4, 1944, in Cody, Wyoming to Irene B. and George R. Smith; he had two brothers, George D. and William H. Smith. Raised in Cody and attending Cody High School, he studied architecture at Montana State University, graduating in 1967 with honors.[1]
Building of the mansion
in 1952, a large wildfire swept over Rattlesnake Mountain, just west of Cody. It left large amounts of timber unclaimed, and Smith decided to use this to build what he described as "A tribute to the North Fork Mountains".[2] He chose the site atop the hill as he believed it to be the geographic center of the Wapiti Valley.[3]
Lee broke ground in mid-1971, intending to build a family home for his wife and expected children. But once the first floor had been completed in early 1973, he decided to add more floors. Smith and his family lived in it while he was building it, without any electricity, running water, air conditioning, or gas, and as the only source of heat in the entire building a small wood-burning fireplace on the first floor.
In the early 1980s, Smith's wife Linda Smith-Mills divorced him, citing his continued obsession with building his mansion.[4][better source needed] According to her, when she divorced him, he seemed to "throw himself... deeper into the building of his house", and "Without me,... his house became his everything."
Death of Smith
Smith was working on an upper-level balcony of the house at about 6pm on April 1992, when, reportedly, a large section of timber came loose and knocked him off the balcony. He fell roughly 20 feet (60m), his head or neck hitting a roof below, and dying instantly.[5] A day later, a neighbor reported having seen Smith's dead body to the local sheriff's office. Smith was pronounced dead on scene.[1] He is buried in Cody Cemetery, in his hometown of Cody, next to his mother and father.
Preservation and purchase
Caretaking
After Francis Lee Smith died in 1992, his daughter Sunny Smith-Larsen has been the caretaker of the property. In October 2009, Paul and Sunny Larsen created the Smith Mansion Preservation Project, a charity website that sees to regular clean-ups and maintenance.[6]
Purchase
In October 2019, the Smith Mansion was sold to Zhiru Huang of Mountain Lodging, a lodging company that owns many properties in the surrounding Cody area, including the Green Creek Inn & RV at the bottom of the hill the mansion rests on.[7] The price of which it was sold was not listed; however, estimates ranged between $250,000 and $500,000, with Realtor giving an estimated value of $414,300.[8]
Notes
References
- ^ a b "Obituaries: Francis Lee Smith". Cody Enterprise. Apr 27, 1992.
- ^ Larsen, Paul. "The Artist, Lee Smith". Smith Mansion Preservation Project. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Nir, Sarah Maslin (Feb 1, 2012). "Gone With The Whimsy". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Vaughn, Beverley Joe. "Francis Lee Smith (1944-1992)". Find A Grave. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ Westmaas, Reuben. "The Smith Mansion Is a Giant, Twisting House in Wyoming That Killed Its Owner". Discovery. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Larsen, Sunny Smith. "SMPP". Smith Mansion Preservation Project. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Wiederspahn, Annaliese (Feb 2, 2020). "Wyoming's Weird and Wacky Smith Mansion Finally Sells". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Wolfson, Leo (Jan 27, 2020). "Smith Mansion property purchased". Cody Enterprise. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
Category:Houses in Park County, Wyoming Category:Unfinished buildings and structures in the United States