SDA originated in New Orleans as the shared vision of Markham Smith and Tom Dalia, where they became friends as Tulane students and later, as young architects, were involved in projects such as restoration of the Louisiana Cabildo and Vieux Carré French Market.  With colleague Dan Koch, they witnessed first-hand the catalytic effects of renovation and adaptive use.

In 1987, Markham and Tom convened in Atlanta to form Smith Dalia Architects.  Dan joined a year later.  The firm became one of the first to focus on re-purposing the city’s industrial buildings, helping to create some of Atlanta’s most-loved places using iconic pieces of its history.

Several key projects advanced Smith Dalia’s emergence:

• King Plow Arts Center.  King Shaw first walked his family’s historic foundry with Tom and Markham in the late 80s; they later gave it new life as one of the first adaptive re-use projects on Atlanta’s west side.
• Piedmont Park.  SDA restored the park’s historic structures, from the celebrated 12th & 14th Street gates to Magnolia Hall to the Greystone events center.
• The Day Chapel.  This artisanal sanctuary in the Georgia State Botanical Gardens was recognized with an AIA Religious Architecture Design Award.

 

Ambassadors for SDA and the values that got us all started, Markham, Tom, and Dan continue to enhance Atlanta—serving its communities through different paths, each according to his particular interests and passions.