Happy 55th Birthday, WC Smith!
On July 1, 1968, Bill Smith founded what was originally known as William C. Smith & Co., after working for the Frank S. Phillips real estate company. The new firm set out to specialize in property management, sales and leasing of commercial and investment property.
The company got its start during a tumultuous era – 1968 saw riots sweeping urban areas, including Washington, DC, and many owners of small- and medium-sized buildings wanted to leave the property management business. Bill Smith saw this as an opportunity, and created a company that would be willing to take over and fix a “sick” building. It gave WC Smith the reputation as being the “apartment doctor.”
Fast forward 55 years, and WC Smith now owns or manages more than 9,000 apartment units in more than 80 properties, spread across each ward of the District. The company has developed numerous residential buildings, along with retail, office and institutional properties, including THEARC in DC’s Congress Heights neighborhood.
