Arthur Elrod
Arthur Elrod | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1926 |
| Died | February 18, 1974 Palm Springs, California, United States |
| Alma mater | Clemson University Chouinard Art Institute |
| Occupation | Interior designer |
Arthur Elrod (1926 – February 1974) was an American interior designer, perhaps best known for the Elrod House in Palm Springs, California designed by the architect John Lautner and built for Elrod in 1968.
Early life
Elrod was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, in 1926, studied design at South Carolina's Clemson University, followed by the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles.[1]
Career
In 1953, Elrod and Harold "Hal" Broderick started Arthur Elrod and Associates, an interior design firm on Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, and went on to hire William Raiser, Steve Chase, and others.[1]
Personal life
In 1968, the architect John Lautner built for Elrod in what Palm Springs, California what is now known as the Elrod House.
The parties he held at the Elrod House were "legendary", Bill Blass held a fashion show, Playboy did a November 1971 feature, Pleasure on the Rocks, and the house was used as Willard Whyte's mansion in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. The house has been described as the "ultimate bachelor pad", and it has been noted that increasing numbers of the "pads" in Playboy in the 1970s belonged to out gay men like Elrod.[2][3]
Elrod and William Raiser, who had become "romantic partners" died in a road traffic accident in February 1974, when their Fiat sportscar was hit by a drunk teenage driver. They were aged 48 and 59.[1][4][5]
Elrod was a close friend of Bob Hope and his wife Dolores.[5]
References
- ^ a b c Strickland, Michael (2011-11-12). "Civic Center: Arthur Elrod 1: 350 Via Lola". Sfciviccenter.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
- ^ "Ron's Log: Elrod House". Ronslog.typepad.com. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
- ^ "Proceedings of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand" (PDF). Griffith.edu.au. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
- ^ "Desert Sun 18 February 1974 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". Cdnc.ucr.edu. 1974-02-18. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
- ^ a b "February 22, 1974 - Friends shocked by Elrod's death | Chicago Tribune Archive". Archives.chicagotribune.com. 1974-02-22. Retrieved 2016-05-03.