Arnold Kirkeby

Arnold Sigurd Kirkeby (June 12, 1901 – March 1, 1962) was an American hotelier, art collector, and real estate investor. He is now best known for owning Chartwell Mansion in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel Air which was the exterior set for the CBS television show The Beverly Hillbillies.[1]

Arnold Kirkeby
Born
Arnold Sigurd Kirkeby

(1901-06-12)June 12, 1901
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMarch 1, 1962(1962-03-01) (aged 60)
Jamaica Bay, New York, U.S.
Resting placeWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation(s)Hotelier, real estate investor, art collector
Spouse
Carlotta Cuesta
​
(m. 1928)​

Biography

Kirkeby was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Norwegian immigrants. He was married to Carlotta Cuesta (1906–1985), the daughter of Angel LaMadrid Cuesta, founder of the Cuesta-Rey Cigar Company based in Tampa, Florida.

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, California. After selling the hotel chain and its Chicago ties, he then invested in the Janss Investment Company development of Westwood, Los Angeles, California, in 1959.[2][3] As part of this project, Kirkeby broke ground on the Kirkeby Center on Wilshire Boulevard in 1960, but died before the building was completed. Kirkeby Center is now known as the Occidental Petroleum Building, and is the home of the Armand Hammer Museum.[4]

Television fans will note that Kirkeby owned the stately mansion located at 750 Bel Air Road in Bel Air, California, used for exterior shots in the hit CBS sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. Series producer Paul Henning paid the family (Mr. Kirkeby had been 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 in the 1960 film Cinderfella.

Kirkeby died aboard American Airlines Flight 1 when it crashed shortly after takeoff from New York City.[2]

Hotels
The Sherry-Netherland Hotel in New York

The Kirkeby Hotel organization included:

California

Florida

Illinois

New York

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

Cuba

Panama

References
  1. "TV Acres: Real Estate > Homes & Mansions > Clampett Mansion (The Beverly Hillbillies)". Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  2. "Disasters: Tragedy in Jamaica Bay". Time. 9 March 1962. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on March 21, 2009.
  3. "Building on the Past for a Future Westwood". Los Angeles Times. 26 December 1999. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  4. "Occidental Petroleum Building/UCLA Hammer Museum". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  5. "Hotels: Better than Bonds". Time. 3 June 1946. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
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