BUILDING HISTORY

The R. R. Smith Center for History and Art, named in honor of long-time state and community leader R. R. "Jake" Smith, is a collaboration of three leading cultural organizations in the Staunton-Augusta County area of the Shenandoah Valley:  Augusta County Historical Society, Historic Staunton Foundation and the Staunton Augusta Art Center. 

It is located in Staunton's Beverley Historic District - a National Register District.  The center houses exhibit galleries, a lecture hall, classrooms, archival areas, a library and reading room, conference facilities, offices for the three non-profit organizations and special event rental venues. Additionally, the American Shakespeare Center administrative offices are located on the 4th floor. 

Originally known as the Eakleton Hotel, the building now known as the R.R. Smith Center for History & Art was constructed between 1893 and 1895. It was designed by architect T. J. Collins in the elegant French Second Empire style and earned a reputation as a fine establishment before operating under various names (including the Watauga, Augusta, and Woodrow Wilson). The first floor was once a bustling hub featuring a check-in desk (where the ACHS gallery now stands), a writing room by the fireplace, a barbershop, and grand dining rooms. After its time as the Tuning Furniture Building, the structure sat vacant for twenty years, eventually falling into such disrepair that rehabilitation began with the removal of eighty bags of pigeon waste and carcasses from the light wells.

The restoration process launched in 1999, beginning with structural stabilization and moving through exterior renovations. What started as a $2.5 million "guesstimate" evolved into a $5.5 million project that was finally completed for occupancy in May 2007. This ambitious undertaking was funded through a mix of grants (37%), federal and state tax credits (34%), and private donations (29%). 

Today, the facility is owned and managed by the R.R. Smith Center Foundation, with operating costs sustained by three partner organizations, lease payments, event rentals, and the generosity of individual donors.