Arthur Rolland Kelly (1878–1959) was an American architect, primarily in the

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

area. Arthur designed approximately five hundred homes and other buildings.

Biography

Early life

Born of Irish parents, who emigrated from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in approximately 1876, he was born in

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls ...

. After studying architecture at the University of Illinois under Nathan Clifford Ricker, he graduated in 1902 with a B.S. in architecture. After touring Europe to study the architecture there for three months, he then settled in Los Angeles in 1902.

Career

Among his first jobs was working for the architectural firm of

Greene and Greene Greene and Greene was an architectural firm established by brothers Charles Sumner Greene (1868–1957) and Henry Mather Greene (January 23, 1870 – October 2, 1954), influential early 20th Century American architects. Active primarily in Cali ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

. Within a few years, he opened his own architectural firm, initially creating homes in various styles in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

and surrounding areas. In the book ''California Design 1910'' author Robert Winter states "The majority of his residential work during the Craftsman period leans toward Colonial Revival and is of only marginal interest. Winter goes on to note one exception, the ca. 1909 John T. Allen ranch house, Hollywood. William Arthur Newbery was Kelly's first associate. Among his first large commissions was the

Huntington Beach High School Huntington Beach High School (HBHS) is a public high school in Huntington Beach, California. Built in 1906, it is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. HBHS is a California Distinguished School. Huntington Beach High School is ...

in 1908. The Newbery association lasted only a few years. Independently, he earned his largest commission to date, the United Verde Copper Company buildings in

Jerome, Arizona Jerome is a town in the Black Hills of Yavapai County in the U.S. state of Arizona. Founded in the late 19th century on Cleopatra Hill overlooking the Verde Valley, Jerome is located more than above sea level. It is about north of Phoenix alon ...

. Among these buildings were worker's homes, a doctor's home, a church, hospital, hotel, school and apartments. Another important building during this period was Hollywood's first luxury hotel, The Christie Hotel on

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

. The 1920s saw a very prolific period in Kelly's career. His specialization was in homes of

Spanish Colonial Revival style The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

and

Tudor Revival style Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

. Most of his clients chose to have his designs built on lots they had purchased in

Holmby Hills Holmby Hills is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. The neighborhood was developed in the early twentieth century by the Janss Investment Company, which developed the rest of Westwood as well as other Los Ang ...

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

and

San Marino, California San Marino is a residential city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2010 census the population was 13,147. The city is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of househol ...

. Kelly's associate during this period was

Joe Estep Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

. A few of Kelly's many designs included the

William S. Hart William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integ ...

Ranch in Newhall, the Arthur Letts Jr. estate in Holmby Hills (now known as

The Playboy Mansion The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner who lived there from 1974 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby Hill ...

), Beverly Hills estates for J. Crampton Anderson, John Blystone,

Richard Dix Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

Johnny Mack Brown John Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) was an American college football player and film actor billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career. He acted and starred mainly in Western (genre), Western films. Early lif ...

, and many others. During this period, Kelly also designed all the buildings for the

Westlake School for Girls Harvard-Westlake School is an independent, co-educational university preparatory day school consisting of two campuses located in Los Angeles, California, with approximately 1,600 students enrolled in grades seven through twelve. Its two predec ...

(now known as Harvard-Westlake School) in Bel-Air and the

Wilshire Country Club Wilshire Country Club is an 18-hole private golf club on the West Coast of the United States, located in Los Angeles, California. The club in Hancock Park was founded in 1919 and its Norman Macbeth-designed course opened the following year. Sou ...

Hancock Park Hancock Park is a city park in the Miracle Mile section of the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The park's destinations include the La Brea Tar Pits; the adjacent George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, which display ...

. The period of the 1930s to the early 1950s saw Kelly in association with his son, architect

Joseph Rolland Kelly Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

. Other than the Letts/Playboy Mansion, which actor

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...

described as "What God would have done if He'd had the money", Kelly's most published work is his 1911 Frost-Tufts house, Hollywood. This residence, having undergone a detailed restoration has been featured in several books and magazines.

Personal life

He was married to Enid Harrod Kelly. See also Some selected sketches of Arthur Kelly's residential and commercial designs from the 1920's: ArthurKelly.org (this is not a link so please type it out in your browser)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Arthur R Architects from California American residential architects 1878 births 1959 deaths People from Waterloo, Iowa