SMILEY RABORN HOUSE
Firm: unknown
Address: 6128 Belvedere Road SW
Date of final plans: 1967
Status: standing as built
The Smiley Raborn House is probably the uniquest design in Bel-Aire. I haven't found who the architect is yet, but my guess is Abugov and Sunderland. In 2005 it underwent a major renovation by Douglas Cridland and Richard Lindseth. In the March 1984 issue of National Geographic, a photo of Mr and Mrs Raborn in their living room appears in the article "Calgary: Canada's Not-So-Wild West."
These are the drawings of Lindseth's remodelling:
https://searcharchives.ucalgary.ca/cridland-wright-belaire-renovation-calgary-alta
THE CLIENT
Smiley Raborn Jr (1915–2018) was born in Robeline, Louisiana on 6 May 1915 to Smiley Francis Raborn Sr and Effie Box. Raborn attended Louisiana State University and in 1939 graduated Bachelor of Science in civil engineering. Upon graduation Raborn got a job with Magnolia Petroleum. In 1942 Raborn joined the United States Army Corps of Engineers and served in Australia, reaching the rank of Major. After being decommissioned in 1946 Raborn joined the Mayes-Bevan Company in Tulsa.
In 1950 Raborn moved with his family to Calgary and took a job with Canadian Delhi Oil Limited. In 1960 he became its executive vice president, and in 1965 became the president. Along with his role at Delhi, Raborn served as a director with Trans-Canada Pipelines, the Calgary Inn, St. Joe Minerals, CFCN, and the National Trust Company.
Raborn was also an active community member. He served for a time as the president of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and was a member of the committee that decided the location of the Family of Man statues. He was a member of the Calgary Golf and Country Club, Petroleum Club, and Ranchmen's Club.
On 18 June 1940 Raborn married Bernice Louise Romero. They had three children: Francine, Smiley III, and Suzanne. Raborn died in March 2018, a month short of his 103rd birthday.