Architect, designer and technician, an outstanding personality of his time.
His father was a teacher in Makó. At he age of ten Schmidt lost his parents, so he moved to Arad to his sister, whose husband had a brazier workshop, and Schmidt served his apprenticeship there. Because of the constant loud noise he left the workshop. His had his sister’s consensus to go to Újarad (today Aradul Nou, Romania) and study at fortification craftsmanship with Ferenc Plumberger. He worked there for three years until 1804. He was 21 at that time. After having worked there for another – compulsory – three years there, he moved to Temesvár (today Timişoara, Romania).
He was a self-taught and was passionate about the Italian Renaissance palaces. After he had settled in Temesvár, he became more interested in designing civic buildings rather than fortifications. He got married in 1908 and had several children. I order to be able to provide for his numerous family, he had to work for the army. In 1851 he got the certificate of mastership, and in August he became citizen of Temesvár. In the beginning he lived in the outskirts of the town, in Józsefváros (today Iosefin), later he moved in the centre.
His first and significant plan was an application for the building of the Angolkirálynő Restaurant, with a dancing and billiard room. The one story building would have been middle axed, symmetrical with one of his favourite motives: a terrace with tympanums, Ionian columns and Balustrades. The hotel was never built. He also designed in a similar way the new modern three story theatre in 1834 but the town council, due to lack of funds, did not finance it. He continued designing small houses and buildings for the army. He designed churches for the surroundings of Temesvár. These churches had a capacity of 100, 30- or 500 people. He often controlled the works personally. In 1809 a Catholic church in Orczyfalva was built according to his design. After several changes the evangelical church in the centre of Temesvár was built. He also designed a new church in Torontálvásárhely to replace the one that had been destroyed by fire.
He designed a stone church for Kalácsa (1841), he restored the Saint George Baroque Church in Temesvár In 1836, following the suggestions of the bishop of Csanád, József Lonovics, and he rebuilt and added a new storey to the building of the Seminar that was going to host Philosophy Department within the newly founded Faculty of Temesvár. Some of his designed were not put into practice. He built several manors in the villages of Banat in Oroszlámos (today Banatski Aranđelovo, Serbia), Aranyág (today Herneacova, Romania), Beodra, Begaszentgyörgy (today Sângeorgiu, Romania) and Buziásfürdő (today Buziaş, Romania). The several story manors had a drive-way, with many rooms and quarters for servants. He also designed pubs and small breweries in Pészak (today Pesac, Romania).
Among his approved designs there were the garrisons and the store houses of the army within the walls of the fortress: the artillery barracks built in 1829 and the new barrack. In the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, when more houses were built for the population. He designed a barrack for the cavalry in Kisszentmiklós (today it is a part of the town of Arad, Romania), and a hotel in Buziás. He also worked on the designs to expand the county hall of Temesvár and for the gendarmerie barracks in Józsefváros.
In 1823 he got married again, his financial situation was strengthened. In the 30s he travelled to many places, especially in Southern and Northern Hungary, Austria and Italy. In 1883 he was renowned professionals and he was asked to design the county hall and the hospital in Pancsova (today Pančevo, Serbia). The two impressive buildings, designed in Classical style are still standing. After this, he designed the large Strohmayer building in Temesvár, which is also standing. The three storey corner house built in the centre of the town between 1839-1842 was named after the businessman who commissioned it. Antal Smidt was joint-owner, and an owner of a restaurant in the centre of the town.
In 1850 he retired leaving to his children a considerable wealth. Her daughter donated to the museum of Temesvár a few of his designs. His older son, Ferenc Scmidt (1827-1901) also became an architect. He started his career in Temesvár than continued to Vienna and then moves to Budapest. He started gathering data for Bolyai.
