ASHEVILLE, NC (August 19, 2025)—The Asheville Art Museum presents Lasting Legacies: Architecture in Asheville by Richard Sharp Smith, Albert Heath Carrier, and Douglas D. Ellington, on view from September 19, 2025 through January 18, 2026.
Travel writers christened Asheville, North Carolina “the Paris of the South” in the early twentieth century in appreciation of the city’s striking architecture and its growing reputation as an epicenter for art, literature, and culture. Lasting Legacies shines a spotlight on two of the architectural firms that helped inspire the honorific, highlighting the significant contributions of Richard Sharp Smith and Albert Heath Carrier, of Smith & Carrier, and Douglas D. Ellington to Asheville’s built environment between 1895 and 1935.
Working at the turn of the twentieth century, Smith & Carrier were instrumental in popularizing the British Arts and Crafts Movement in Asheville, adapting it to the region’s aesthetic sensibilities. Two decades later, Ellington led Asheville’s embrace of Art Deco, embedding its highly decorative style across the city’s vista. Smith & Carrier’s impact can be seen in Biltmore Village, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, and private residences in Albemarle Park, while Ellington was the architect for the famed Asheville City Building, Asheville High School, and First Baptist Church, to name just a few of many buildings designed by the two firms. The exhibition traces these distinct aesthetic contributions across civic, commercial, religious, and domestic spaces in Asheville and its surroundings. Alongside architecture and design materials, the exhibition showcases the parallel revival of craft and decorative arts in Western North Carolina, exploring how artistic dialogues crossed genres and found expression in everyday life. Featured decorative arts include materials produced by well-known makers such as Biltmore Industries, Brasstown Carvers, and Dodge Silver.
To learn more about the Lasting Legacies exhibition and related programming, visit ashevilleart.org.
This exhibition has received major support from The Ellington Family, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Leigh Ann Hamon & Bruce Johnson.
About the Asheville Art Museum
Established by artists and incorporated in 1948, the Asheville Art Museum is committed to being a vital force in community and individual development and to providing lifelong opportunities for education and enrichment through the visual arts. The Museum's mission is to engage, enlighten, and inspire individuals and enrich the community through dynamic experiences in American art of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Museum acknowledges that it is situated upon the ancient, southern Appalachian ancestral homeland of the Cherokee Tribe and that this region is still the home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians today. The Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
Visiting Information
The Asheville Art Museum welcomes visitors Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 6pm and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. General admission is always free for Museum Members, active-duty military personnel with valid ID, and children under 6. Admission is $20 per adult, $15 per senior (65+), and $10 per student (children 6–17 or degree-seeking college students with valid ID)—added fee for special exhibitions. Pay-what-you-wish for Appalachia Helene-affected region. The amount you pay for admission is up to you, but you must pay something to support the arts. The Museum is committed to providing all visitors with an inclusive and welcoming experience. Our facility is fully accessible, with accommodation for individuals with disabilities. Please visit the accessibility page on our website or call 828.253.3227 in advance for more information.