The Smith Estate
historic place
The Smith Estate, also known as El Mio, is a historic Victorian house located on a hilltop in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles, California. Built in 1887, the house was designed in the Queen Anne style by architect Abram M. Edelman. Its first owner was Judge David Patterson Hatch, who was known for his legal work and later wrote books on philosophy and the occult. In the late 1890s, railroad executive Charles Warren Smith acquired the property. The Smith family resided here for over sixty years, until the early 1960s, leading the estate to become known by their name. Charles Smith held significant roles with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and managed Los Angeles Railway's streetcar lines. The estate was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1975 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Smith Estate is historically significant for its Queen Anne architecture and its association with prominent early Los Angeles residents.