Claud Wilbur Beelman
Beelman (1884 – January 30, 1963), sometimes known as Claude Beelman, was an American architect who designed many examples of Beaux-Arts, Art Deco, and Streamline Moderne style buildings. Many of his buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Also recorded as Claude Beelman · Claud W. Beelman
Claud Wilbur Beelman
Los Angeles · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Claud Beelman
- Born
- 1884
- Birthplace
- Ohio
- Died
- January 30, 1963
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California
- Awards
- Honorary Doctor of Architecture from Woodbury University, May 12, 2023
- Spouse
- Lourene Taft Beelman
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- architect.
- Known for
- Eastern Columbia Building.
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Beelman (1884 – January 30, 1963), sometimes known as Claude Beelman, was an American architect who designed many examples of Beaux-Arts, Art Deco, and Streamline Moderne style buildings. Many of his buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Claud Wilbur Beelman (1884–1963) was an architect, of American nationality. The architect was born and died in Los Angeles. Among the works is Eastern Columbia Building.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Claud Beelman • Citizenship — USA • Born — 1884 • Birthplace — Ohio • Died — January 30, 1963 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California • Significant Buildings — Superior Oil Company Building • Awards — Honorary Doctor of Architecture from Woodbury University, May 12, 2023 • Spouse — Lourene Taft Beelman • Children — 1 daughter
Biography
Biography
Beelman was married to Lourene Taft Beelman (b. 1884, Ohio - d. 1948, Ca.). In 1910, he was a draftsman in the state of Indiana. (Cite: U.S. Census Records, State of Indiana, 1910.) It was there they had a daughter, Helen Beelman (b. 1912). By the 1920s, the family had relocated to Los Angeles, and by 1930, they lived in Beverly Hills. From the 1920s on, Beelman, as partner or owner of one or another of several firms (Curlett + Beelman; Allison & Allison; Ruck & Beelman; Claud Beelman & Associates) designed a number of prominent civic and private structures. By 1956, Claude Beelman & Associates officed at 7421 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles 90036. When he was in his seventies, Beelman designed the 12-story Superior Oil building for oil tycoon W.M. Keck. Completed in 1955, the Superior Oil building later became The Bank of California Building, and was used for the bank's offices until the 1980s. By the late 1990s, the building had been vacant for nearly ten years, but has been renovated beginning in 2000 by hotel developer Andre Balazs, and now is the location of his hotel The Standard. • Illustration — Eastern Columbia Building It is the zig-zag moderne Eastern Columbia Building, however, with its facade of turquoise green terra cotta tile, ornate clock tower, art deco lighting, fixtures, signage and architectural detail that is Beelman's most recognizable work. In 2006, the Eastern Columbia Building was converted from office space to loft live/work spaces by the Kor Group and is now one of the most desirable loft buildings in Downtown Los Angeles. On May 12, 2023, Beelman was posthumously awarded an Honorary Doctor of Architecture from Woodbury University in Burbank, California.
Works
Works
Beelman's works include (in Los Angeles, California) unless otherwise noted:
National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
• Illustration — Garfield Building, 2008 • Cooper Arms Apartments (1923), Long Beach, California • Building at 816 South Grand Avenue (1924) • Culver Hotel (1924), Culver City, California • Roosevelt Building (1926) • Security Building (1928), Phoenix, Arizona • Heinsbergen Decorating Company Building (1928) • Ninth and Broadway Building (1929) • Board of Trade Building (1929) • Garfield Building (1930) • Eastern Columbia Building (1930) • U.S. Post Office--Hollywood Station (1937) • Superior Oil Company Building (1956) • Norwalk Memorial Hospital, Norwalk, Ohio • Spring Street Realty Building • Woodbury University, Wilshire Boulevard Building
Other notable works
Other notable works
• Illustration — Elks Lodge No. 99 / Park Plaza Hotel • The Talmadge (1924) • Elks Lodge No. 99 / Park Plaza Hotel (1924) • May Company Garage (1926) • Don Lee Mutual Broadcast Building (1948) • Tidewater Building (1958) • Getty Building (1963) • Central Plaza Building • Farmers and Merchants Bank Office Tower, Long Beach, California • Irving Thalberg Building, MGM (Sony) Studios • L.A. Jewelry Center • Pacific South West Trust Building • Rose Hill Housing Structure
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. Recorded with the gender male. The same evidence establishes that claud Wilbur Beelman was born on 20 January 1884. Institutional cataloguing adds that claud Wilbur Beelman died on 30 January 1963. Institutional cataloguing adds that claud Wilbur Beelman is recorded as human.

The Mary Pickford Center, 1313 N. Vine St., Hollywood, CA 90028 - Home to the AMIA Office
Leo Enticknap (this is a link to my personal site for information purposes, the copyright warning on which does not apply to this image) / LDGE at en.wikipedia · I (LDGE (talk)) (i.e. Leo Enticknap) created this work entirely by myself.

A lovely Art Deco building from 1925 designed by Alec Curlett and Claud Beelman.
Codera23
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q5128623: Claud Wilbur BeelmanWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
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This entry is compiled from 2 catalogued sources across 2 independent registers. The registers consulted are Wikipedia and Wikimedia Foundation. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Design
11,558 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Clarence W. WigingtonDesigner
- Clarence Z. HubbellDesigner
- Clarke WaggamanDesigner
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- Claude BatleyDesigner
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- Claude DesgotsDesigner
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