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 the mansion in the West Los Angeles suburb of Bel-Air, which was the exterior set for the CBS television show The Beverly Hillbillies.

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. 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, California.

After selling the hotel chain, he then invested in the Janss Investment Company development of Westwood, Los Angeles, California in 1959. 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.

Television fans will note that Kirkeby owned the stately mansion located at 750 Bel Air Road, Bel Air, California used for exterior shots in the hit CBS sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. 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 in the 1960 film Cinderfella.

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

The Sherry-Netherland Hotel in New York

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
• Hampshire House, New York, New York
• 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

• "Luxury 5-star Hotel Group – The Peninsula Hotels". Retrieved 5 May 2016. 
• "HOTELS: Better than Bonds". TIME.com. 3 June 1946. Retrieved 5 May 2016.