Arnold Kirkeby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arnold Kirkeby (June 12, 1901 – March, 1962) was an American hotelier, art collector and real estate investor.

He is now best known for owning the mansion in the West Los Angeles suburb of Bel-Air, which was the exterior set for the CBS TV show The Beverly Hillbillies.^[1]

Contents 1 Biography 2 Hotels 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Biography

Arnold S. Kirkeby was born on June 12, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois, and died in March 1962 in the American Airlines plane crash just after leaving New York known as American Airlines Flight 1.^[2]

TV fans will note that Kirkeby owned the stately mansion used for the hit CBS sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies" exterior shots, located at 750 Bel Air Road, Bel Air, California. Series producer Paul Henning paid the family (Mr. Kirkeby was killed in a plane crash prior to the series debut) $500 per day for filming on the mansion's grounds. The mansion's interior and rear were duplicated on Stage 4 at General Service Studios. Contractual provisions at the time prevented disclosure of the mansion's address in press releases and required restoration of the grounds after each shoot. The mansion had been previously used by Jerry Lewis for 1960's "Cinderfella."

The son of Norwegian immigrants, he was married to Carlotta Cuesta, the daughter of Angel LaMadrid Cuesta, founder of the Cuesta-Rey Cigar Company based in Tampa, Florida.

Arnold Kirkeby was the founder of the Kirkeby Hotel chain, beginning in Chicago with the Drake Hotel, and ending his hotel interests when he sold the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, CA.

After selling the hotel, he then invested in the Janss Brothers' Westwood, Los Angeles, California development in 1959^[3]. As part of this project, Kirkeby broke ground on the Kirkeby Center on Wilshire Boulevard in 1960, but died in a plane crash before the building was completed.

The Kirkeby Center is now known as the Occidental Petroleum headquarters, and is also now the home of the Armand Hammer museum.

[edit] Hotels

The Kirkeby Hotel organization included:

• The Blackstone, Chicago, Illinois: Now operated by Marriott Hotels
• The Drake, Chicago, Illinois
• Sherry-Netherland, New York, New York
• The Townhouse, Los Angeles, California: Now operated by Sheraton
• The Gotham, New York, New York: Now known as The Peninsula New York^[4]
• Hampshire House, New York, New York^[5]
• The Warwick, New York, New York
• Saranac Inn, Saranac Lake, New York
• Hotel Ambassador, Atlantic City, New Jersey: Became the Tropicana Casino
• The Warwick, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Now operated as the Radisson Plaza.
• Sunset Tower, West Hollywood, California
• The Kenilworth, Miami Beach, Florida
• Belleview-Biltmore Hotel, Clearwater, Florida
• El Panama, Panama City, Panama: Became the Panama Hilton
• Hotel Nacional de Cuba, Havana, Cuba
• Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, California

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.tvacres.com/homes_clampett.htm
2. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,939941,00.html
3. ^ http://articles.latimes.com/1999/dec/26/opinion/op-47600
4. ^ Peninsula Hotels
5. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,797863,00.html

[edit] External links

Ron Fields Designs: Memories of Westwood [1]