Ralph Carlin Flewelling (May 4, 1894 – December 30, 1975) was an American architect. He designed many buildings in

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...

Early life

Flewelling was born on May 4, 1894, in

St. Louis, Michigan St. Louis is a city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census the population was 7,482. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It wa ...

.Pacific Coast Architecture Database
/ref> His father was

Ralph Tyler Flewelling Ralph Tyler Flewelling (1871–1960) was an American philosopher. Biography Early life He was born on November 23, 1871, near De Witt, Michigan, and educated at the University of Michigan, Alma College (Mich.). the Garrett Biblical Institute ...

. He graduated from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...

and he received a Master's degree from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

in 1917.

Career

Flewelling started his career as a draftsman for Henry M. Patterson, a Los Angeles-based architect, from 1921 to 1923. He then worked for

William Lee Woollett William Lee Woollett (November 13, 1873 – February 11, 1955) was an American architect practicing mainly in California. He designed theaters in Los Angeles in the 1920s including the largest movie theater ever built in Los Angeles, Grauman's Me ...

(1874-1955) from 1924 to 1925. He opened his own architectural practise in 1925. Flewelling designed the Hawthorne School in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

in 1928. He designed the

Electric Fountain The Electric Fountain is a water fountain with public art sculptures and evening lighting, surrounded by mosaic pavement, seating, and landscaping. It is located in Beverly Gardens Park on the corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards in ...

in Beverly Hills in 1931. He also designed the post office in Beverly Hills in 1932 and 1933. Later, he designed the city hall and police station in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

in 1949. He also designed the All Saints' Episcopal Church in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

. Flewelling became a Fellow of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

in 1941.

With Walter Leland Moody

Together with Walter Leland Moody, Flewelling designed

Santa Ana College Santa Ana College is a public community college in Santa Ana, California. History In 1915, Santa Ana Junior College opened its doors to 25 students as a department of Santa Ana High School. It was the second community college founded in Orange ...

located at 1530 West 17th Street in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana (Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As ...

in 1947. Two years later, in 1949, they designed Paradise Canyon Elementary School located at 471 Knight Way in

La Canada, California LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

. They designed Morningside High School located at 10500 Yukon Avenue in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

in 1953. The following year, in 1954, they designed the Center Street School located at 700 Center Street in

El Segundo, California El Segundo ( , ; ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. The population was 17,272 as of t ...

. That year, they also designed the Del Norte School in

West Covina, California West Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located east of downtown Los Angeles in the eastern San Gabriel Valley, it is part of Greater Los Angeles Area, Greater Los Angeles. The population for the city was 109,501 ...

. A year later, in 1955, they designed the Hawthorne High School in

Hawthorne, California Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area commonly known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay. As of the 2020 United States cens ...

. They designed the Seeley W. Mudd Library located at 640 North College Avenue in

Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of Los Angeles. It lies in the Pomona Valley at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had ...

in 1970; it is named for Seeley W. Mudd.Pacific Coast Architecture Database: Claremont College, Mudd, Seeley W., Library, Claremont, CA
/ref>

Personal life and death

Flewelling married twice, first in 1925 and then in 1951. He had a child in 1930. He died on December 30, 1975, in Los Angeles County, California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flewelling, Ralph Carlin People from St. Louis, Michigan People from Los Angeles County, California Wesleyan University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni 20th-century American architects Fellows of the American Institute of Architects 1894 births 1975 deaths