Smith-McDowell House

Visitors to the Smith-McDowell House may feel as if they've taken a step back in time when they enter this home of an early Asheville family of great wealth and power.

This four-story brick house was built around 1840 by James McConnell Smith and his wife Mary "Polly" Patton. Smith was one of the most influential men in antebellum Asheville and one of the leading businessmen in North Carolina. The house was home to the family, including his son, John Patton Smith, and later his daughter and son-in-law, Sarah and William Wallace McDowell, until 1881.

After a series of ownership changes, Dr. and Mrs. Charles Van Bergen purchased the house in 1898 and commissioned Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to create a landscape plan for the property and added a new carriage house that, according to tradition, was designed by Richard Morris Hunt.

Today, the restored Smith-McDowell House, owned by Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College and operated by the Western North Carolina Historical Association, is the oldest surviving house in Asheville and the finest existing example of brick antebellum architecture in Western North Carolina. It is included in the National Register of Historic Places.

The house is fully furnished with authentic period pieces, and programs reflect the era in which the Smiths and McDowells lived, including the Museum's acclaimed annual
Victorian Romance Christmas Celebration.

Hours of Operation
The Smith McDowell House Museum is open year round.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - group appointment only (15 visitors minimum)
Thursday - Saturday 10 am - 4 pm
Sunday's 12pm - 4pm

The Smith McDowell House Museum is also available for rentals for parties, weddings, and meetings.

Admission Fees 
                                    Regular          Christmas Season
Adult                          $7                  $10
Children (5 to 18)    $3                   $5
Children under 5      Free               Free

Discounts available for AAA members and groups of 15 or more.
VISA and MasterCard accepted.
*Prices are subject to change without notice & from what is listed on this website.

Location 
The Smith McDowell House Museum is located at 283 Victoria Road, Asheville NC 28803
Phone: (828) 253- 9231
Email: smh@wnchistory.org
website: http://www.wnchistory.org/