Welton David Becket (August 8, 1902 – January 16, 1969) was an American modern

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who designed many buildings in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Biography

Becket was born in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

and graduated from the University of Washington program in Architecture in 1927 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree ( B.Arch.). He moved to Los Angeles in 1933 and formed a partnership with his University of Washington classmate Walter Wurdeman and Angeleno architect Charles F. Plummer. Their first major commission was the

Pan-Pacific Auditorium The Pan-Pacific Auditorium was a landmark structure in the Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California, Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California. It once stood near the site of Gilmore Field, an early Los Angeles baseball venue predating Dodger ...

in 1935, which won them residential jobs from

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

, Robert Montgomery, and other film celebrities. Plummer died in 1939. The successor firm Wurdeman and Becket went on to design Bullock's Pasadena (1944) and a couple of corporate headquarters. Wurdeman and Becket developed the concept of "total design," whereby their firm would be responsible for master planning, engineering, interiors, furniture, fixtures, landscaping, signage, and even (in the case of restaurants) menus, silverware, matchbooks, and napkins. After Wurdeman's death in 1949, Becket formed Welton Becket and Associates and continued to grow the firm to the extent that it was one of the largest architectural offices in the world by the time of his death in 1969. In 1987, his firm was acquired by Ellerbe Associates, and the merged firm continued as Ellerbe Becket until the end of 2009, when it was acquired by

AECOM AECOM (, ; formerly AECOM Technology Corporation; stylised A''Ξ''COM) is an American multinational infrastructure consulting firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company's official name from 1990–2015 was AECOM Technology Corporation, ...

. It is now known as Ellerbe Becket, an AECOM Company. Becket's buildings used unusual facade materials such as

ceramic tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or ot ...

and

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

grillwork, repetitive geometric patterns, and a heavy emphasis on walls clad in natural stone, particularly

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

and

flagstone Flagstone (flag) is a generic flat Rock (geology), stone, sometimes cut in regular rectangular or square shape and usually used for Sidewalk, paving slabs or walkways, patios, flooring, fences and roofing. It may be used for memorials, headstone ...

. With

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

and the

United States Steel Corporation The United States Steel Corporation is an American steel company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It maintains production facilities at several additional locations in the U.S. and Central Europe. The company produces and sells steel products, ...

, Becket's firm co-designed

Disney's Contemporary Resort Disney's Contemporary Resort, originally to be named Tempo Bay Hotel and previously the Contemporary Resort Hotel, is a resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Opened on October 1, 1971, the hotel is one of two ori ...

, which opened in 1971 at

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...

. The Contemporary was designed as a 14-story steel A-frame with a monorail running through the building. Modular guest rooms were assembled, finished, furnished, fully equipped and their doors locked, on the ground, then lifted by crane and inserted into the frame; however, this sometimes took multiple tries. Welton Becket was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

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 1952. Becket's sons, Welton MacDonald Becket & Bruce Becket, are also practicing architects, as well as his nephew MacDonald G. Becket and granddaughter Alexandra Becket.

Commissions

Becket's extensive list of credits includes: *

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, CA, 1935 (with Walter Wurdeman) (destroyed by fire) * Jones Dog & Cat Hospital,

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...

, 1938 (with Walter Wurdeman) * Manila Jai Alai Building,

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, Philippines, 1939 (with Walter Wurdeman) (demolished) *

General Petroleum Building The General Petroleum Building, also known as the Mobil Oil Building and the Pegasus Apartments, is a highrise building in the Modern architecture style located in Downtown Los Angeles. Design and construction Walter Wurdeman & Welton Becket we ...

, Los Angeles, CA, 1949 (with Walter Wurdeman) *First National Bank of Arizona Building, Phoenix, AZ, 1950 * Fifth Street Store Building, Los Angeles, CA, 1952 renovation *Welton Becket Residence, Los Angeles, CA, 1952 * Los Altos Center Mall, Long Beach, CA 1953 *

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (also commonly referred to as UCLA Medical Center, RRMC or Ronald Reagan) is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United S ...

, Los Angeles, CA, 1953 *Baptist Memorial Hospital, Kansas City, MO, 1953 * Parker Center (formerly the ''Police Administration Building''), Los Angeles, CA, 1955 (demolished) * The Broadway department store (now Walmart) at Panorama City Shopping Center,

Panorama City, Los Angeles Panorama City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. It has a generally young age range as well as the highest population density in the Valley. More than half of the neighborhood's population was b ...

, CA, 1955 *

The Beverly Hilton The Beverly Hilton is a hotel located on an property at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards in Beverly Hills, California, United States. The Beverly Hilton has hosted many awards shows, charity benefits, and entertainment ...

Beverly Hills 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 Hil ...

, CA, 1955 * The Broadway Orange County, at the original Anaheim Plaza, Anaheim, CA, 1955 (demolished) *

Capitol Records Building The Capitol Records Building, also known as the Capitol Records Tower, is a 13-story tower building in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Designed by Louis Naidorf of Welton Becket Associates, it is one of t ...

, Los Angeles, CA, Project Designer Lou Naidorf, 1956 * Edens Plaza,

Wilmette, Illinois Wilmette is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Skokie, Northfield, Glenview, and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a populatio ...

, 1956 * Park Central Mall, Phoenix, AZ, 1956 * Ace Hotel Los Angeles (formerly the ''Texaco Building'') on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 1957 *

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica, California, owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket and as a concert venue, it has a seating ca ...

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, CA, 1958 * Hotel Tryp Habana Libre (formerly the ''Habana Hilton''),

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, 1958 * The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo (formerly the ''Nile Hilton''),

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, 1959 (with Mahmoud Riad) * Sheraton Dallas Hotel (formerly the ''Adams Mark Dallas'' and ''Southland Center''),

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, TX, 1959 * Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA, 1959 (demolished) *

Riviera Hotel and Casino The Riviera (colloquially, "the Riv") was a hotel and casino on the northern Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It opened on April 20, 1955, and included a nine-story hotel featuring 291 rooms. The Riviera was the first skyscraper in the Las ...

expansion, Las Vegas, NV, 1959 (demolished) *Los Angeles Customs House and Federal Office Building, Los Angeles, CA, 1960 (with Albert C. Martin and Paul R. Williams) * 100 California Street, San Francisco, CA, 1960 * Kaiser Center,

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

, CA, 1960 *Clark County Courthouse, Las Vegas, NV, 1961 (with Zick & Sharp) * Grossmont Center, La Mesa, CA, 1961 * Christown Mall, Phoenix, AZ, 1961 *Robert McCulloch Residence, Palm Springs, CA, 1962 * Petersen Automotive Museum (formerly a Seibu and Ohrbach's department store), Los Angeles, CA, 1962 * Walt Whitman Shops, Huntington Station, NY, 1962 * Southern Cross Hotel,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia, 1962 (demolished 2003) *Interiors of the new Los Angeles International Airport, 1962 *McCulloch Building (now ''Homewood Suites by Hilton LAX'') Los Angeles, CA, 1962 * Airport Marina Hotel,

Westchester, Los Angeles Westchester is a neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles and the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is home to Los Angeles International Airport, Loyola Marymount University, Otis College of Art and Design ...

, 1961-2 (now Hotel June) *Security First National Bank, Los Angeles, CA, 1963 (demolished) * U.S. Embassy, Warsaw, Poland, 1963 *

Cinerama Dome The Cinerama Dome is a movie theater located at 6360 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. Designed to exhibit widescreen Cinerama films, it opened November 7, 1963. The original developer was William R. Forman, founder of Pacific Theatr ...

, Los Angeles, CA, 1963 *

Century City Century City is a 176-acre (71.2 ha) neighborhood and business district in Los Angeles, California, United States. Located on the Westside to the south of Santa Monica Boulevard around 10 miles (16 km) west of downtown Los Angeles, Cent ...

(masterplan), Los Angeles, CA, 1963 *

Gateway West Building Gateway West Building was a skyscraper in Century City, Los Angeles, California. Location The Gateway West Building is located on the southwest corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and the Avenue of the Stars in Century City, a district in the city ...

, Century City, Los Angeles, CA, 1963 * Biltmore Fashion Park, Phoenix, AZ, 1963 * Hartford National Bank, Hartford, CT 1963 * ExxonMobil Building (formerly Humble Oil Building) Houston, TX, 1963 * McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, NV, 1963 * Orange Civic Center, Orange, CA, 1963 *

Westfield Century City Westfield Century City is an outdoor shopping mall in the Century City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It has of gross leasable area and is anchored by Bloomingdale's, Macy's, and Nordstrom. The mall has been owned by Westfield-affi ...

(formally Century City Mall) Century City, Los Angeles, CA, 1964 * Phillips Petroleum Building, Bartlesville, OK, 1964 * Federal Building, Los Angeles, CA, 1964 *North American Aviation Building, Los Angeles, 1964 * Los Angeles Music Center (officially the ''Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County''), which includes

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt ...

, Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theater, Los Angeles, CA, 1964 * Ford Pavilion of the

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activ ...

, New York City, NY, 1964 (demolished) * General Electric Pavilion of the 1964 New York World's Fair, New York City, NY, 1964 (demolished) *Mutual Savings and Loan Building, Pasadena, CA, 1964 *

Pauley Pavilion Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams. Th ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

(officially the ''Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion''), Los Angeles, CA, 1965 *Airport Center Building (now ''Hyatt Place LAX / Century Blvd'') Los Angeles, CA, 1965 *Santa Monica Shores Apartments, Santa Monica CA, 1967 * Gulf Life Tower (now known as the ''Riverplace Tower''), Jacksonville, FL, 1967 * Xerox Tower, Rochester, New York, 1967 * Fashion Island, Newport Beach, CA, 1967 (with

William Pereira William Leonard Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, who was noted for his Futurist architecture#Post-modern futurism, futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamer ...

) * 5900 Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA, 1968 (with William Pereira) * La Habra Fashion Square, La Habra, CA, 1968 (Welton Becket and Associates) *

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, Pomona, CA, Project Designer Marvin Taff, 1969 * Equitable Life Building, Los Angeles, 1969 *

McKesson Plaza One Post Street is a 38-story, office skyscraper located at 1 Post Street and Market Street (San Francisco), Market Street in the Financial District (San Francisco), Financial District of San Francisco, California, United States. The building ...

, San Francisco, CA, 1969 * One California, San Francisco, CA, 1969 *Park Plaza Shopping Center, Oshkosh, WI, 1969 * 800 Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA, 1970 * Park Plaza Mall, Oshkosh, WI, 1970, now City Center a commercial business center for Oshkosh. * PNC Plaza (formerly the ''Citizens Fidelity Plaza''),

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, KY, 1971 *Beverly Wilshire Hotel expansion, Beverly Hills, CA, 1971 *

, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Lake Buena Vista, FL, 1971 *Worcester Center Galleria, Worcester Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, 1971 *33 Washington Street, Newark, New Jersey, 1971 *Chase Tower (Phoenix), Chase Tower (formerly the ''Bank One Center'' and ''Valley Bank Center''), Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, Project Designer MacDonald Becket, 1972 *Grand Ole Opry, Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, TN, 1972 *Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Knoxville, TN, 1972 *Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, 1972 *One Market Plaza, San Francisco, CA, 1972 *50 California Street, Union Bank Building, San Francisco, CA, 1972 *One PNC Plaza, Pittsburgh, PA, 1972 *Regions Center (Birmingham), Regions Center (formerly the ''AmSouth Center'', ''AmSouth-Sonat Tower'', and ''First National-Southern Natural Building''), Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham, AL, 1972 *Brady Sullivan Plaza, ''(formerly Hampshire Plaza),'' Manchester, N.H., 1973 *Glendale Public Library, Glendale Central Library, Glendale, California, Glendale, CA, Project Designer, Marvin Taff, 1973 *Chase Plaza, Lexington, KY, 1973 *100 Summer Street, Boston, MA, 1974 *United Plaza, Philadelphia, PA, 1974 *Hyatt Regency New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, 1976 *Intourist Hotel, Moscow, Russia, 1976 *Reunion Tower, Dallas, TX, 1978 *Hyatt Regency Dallas, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Dallas, TX, 1978 *Hyatt Regency Hotel, Washington, D. C. 1978 *Hyatt Regency Hotel, Louisville, KY, 1978 *U.S. Bank Building (Boise), US Bank Plaza, Boise, ID, 1978 *BNY Mellon Center (Pittsburgh), BNY Mellon Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 1980 *One Tampa City Center (formerly the GTE Building) Tampa, FL, 1981 *Stanton Tower, El Paso, TX, 1981 *Wells Fargo Plaza (San Diego), Wells Fargo Plaza, San Diego, CA, 1983 *OneOK Plaza ''(commissioned as never-occupied headquarters of Cities Service Company)'', Tulsa, OK, 1984 (with HKS, Inc.) *First Bank and Trust Tower, New Orleans, LA, 1987 *Skyview Center, Los Angeles, CA, 1987

References

External links

Oral history — Perkins quote (pg. 75)Bigfloridacountry.com: Video clip of construction of the Contemporary Resort
*hdl:10020/cifa2012m43, MacDonald Becket papers, Welton Becket and Associates, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession No. 2012.M.43 *hdl:10020/cifa2010m83, Welton Becket architectural drawings and photographs, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession No. 2010.M.83 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Becket, Welton Welton Becket buildings, Architects from Los Angeles Modernist architects from the United States Fellows of the American Institute of Architects 1902 births 1969 deaths Architects from Seattle University of Washington College of Built Environments alumni 20th-century American architects