Nationality United States Children 3 | Occupation Architect Died August 1971 | |
 | ||
Born May 12, 1899 ( 1899-05-12 ) Mykolaiv, Russian Empire Spouse(s) Sadye Seltzer (1906-1966) Buildings Charmont Apartments (1929)
The Ravenswood (1930)
Sahara Casino (1952-2011) Structures Charmont Apartments, The Ravenswood | ||
Max Maltzman (1899–1971) was a noted architect during the Art Deco era and one of the first Jewish architects to break into the mainstream. The design and looks of his buildings were widely emulated by his peers and successors in Los Angeles.
Contents
Life
Max Maltzman was born 12 May 1899 in Mykolaiv, Novorossiya, now in Ukraine. His parents were Esther Maltzman and Abraham Maltzman, a carpenter. He had six siblings. The Maltzman family immigrated to Montreal, Canada in 1909, but Max Maltzman moved to Chelsea, Massachusetts in 1910. Following military service in World War I, Maltzman returned to Boston, where he began studying architecture. He married Russian native Sadye Seltzer (1906-1966) in 1921. Sadya was fifteen years old at the time of their marriage, while Max was 21 or 22. They had three children: Elliott (born 1923), Muriel (born 1924) and Donald (born 1938). Max Maltzman became an American citizen in 1923. Maltzman and his wife moved to Los Angeles in the 1920s. He established an office at 169 North La Brea Avenue, and later at 704 South Spring Street.
Social Security records indicate he died August 1971 in Los Angeles, at the age of 72.
Work
Several of Maltzman's buildings have become significant monuments, for example, The Ravenswood in Hollywood, which the City of Los Angeles declared in 2003 to be a Historic Cultural Monument, and the Charmont Apartments, which the federal government has placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Maltzman operated during the era of Old Hollywood glamor, and several stars from that era, including Mae West, Clark Gable and Ava Gardner sought to live in his buildings.
In 1952, Maltzman was hired by Chicago organized crime figures to be the supervising architect for the Sahara Casino in Las Vegas.