Smaill, David, House

The David Smaill House is significant for its associations with the early residential development of Carson City, Nevada. The dwelling is representative of the small, vernacular dwellings assaciated with Carson City's working class in the late 19th century. The building is architecturally noteworthy for its simplicity of design and elaborate exterior ornamentation.

Tax assessments for the West Ann Street property indicate that the vernacular dwelling was constructed by David Smaill in 1876. In July of that year, Smaill and his wife, Rachel Spratte Smaill, purchased the then-vacant lot from Charles M. Jones for $255.00. In December 1876, David Smaill was assessed $600.00 for an "unfinished dwelling" and lot. Smaill, a blacksmith and wagon maker, sold the property to William A. Johnson in 1877 for $1,600.00. City directories, however, indicate that the Smaill family occupied the house until at least 1879.

Title to the site was transferred to Russell Fitton in 1882. The deed description recording the change in ownership refers to the site as "the same subscribing the property known as the Sinaill property." Russell Fitton, who came to Carson City from Ireland in 1875, purchased the house in 1882.Fitton, a machinist in the roundhouse of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, and his wife, Anna Donohue Fitton, were the parents of three daughters: Marian, born 1878; Martha, born 1881; and Agnes, born October of 1883. The only two known old photos of the house show the Fitton family with a small infant, thus dating the photos.

A. Livingston, born 1843 in Prussia, became owner in 1890. Proprietor of a saloon, he was elected State Senator in the Nevada State Legislature's 19th Session of 1899. Livingston and his wife, Mary, are known to have resided in the house up to 1907. She retained ownership until 1943. The present owner, a carpenter and contractor, and his wife have maintained the David Smaill House as a private residence for the last forty years.

The development of Carson City dates to the 1851 establishment of a small trading post in the Eagle Valley. In 1857, Abraham Curry, a resident of Genoa, Nevada, purchased the trading post and was responsible for surveying a townsite. The David Smaill House occupies portions of lots 9 and 10, Block 11, of the Curry survey area.

Development of the community was fostered by the Comstock mining boom, Carson City, named for the Carson River, served as a service center for the Comstock Region. Carson City assumed the role of governmental center in 1861 with the establishment of the Nevada Territory. Carson City became the state capitol three years later when Nevada was admitted to the Union.

In addition to its role as a consumer service and governmental center, Carson City became the transportation center for northern Nevada in 1873 with the construction of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad roundhouse.

Carson City's early residential development centered on the west side of the community adjoining the main commercial artery, Carson Street. Residential structures vary in size, style, and use of ornamentation. The 1980 Carson City_Cultural Resources Inventory undertaken by the City identified a number of modest frame cottages constructed in the latter portion of the 19th century. These structures, which vary in integrity, were associated with Carson City's largely foreign-born, working class. As in the case of the David Smaill House, these buildings are generally one-and-one-half to two story structures with gable end orientations. Steeply pitched gable roofs are frequently accented by finials, barge board and jig sawn panels. The primary ornamental elements in this housing group are concentrated at the roof eave and entry porch. The David Smaill House is an intact example representative of this building type.