Raymond M. Kennedy

Raymond McCormick Kennedy
Kennedy at Cornell
Born	1891 New Brighton, Pennsylvania
Died	May 11, 1976 (aged 84-85) Glendale, California
Alma mater	Cornell University
Occupation	Architect
Buildings	Grauman's Chinese Theater Fox Fullerton Theatre

Raymond McCormick Kennedy was the guiding light and architect of the Grauman's Chinese Theater that opened in May 1927.

Raymond McCormick Kennedy was born in New Brighton, Pennsylvania in 1891. He graduated from Cornell University in 1915 at the top of his class with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture for which he received the American Institute of Architects Medal for General Excellence in Architecture. At this time he was also awarded the John Plaut Fellowship which paid for his return to Cornell for post graduate work. In 1916 Kennedy earned his Master's in Architecture at Cornell. Upon his completion of this degree he was awarded the Rome Prize Scholarship in Architecture. This coveted prize entitled the recipient to three years of resident study at the Academy in Rome and included a stipend to cover expenses. His studies in Italy were interrupted by World War I. He volunteered to serve for the American Red Cross of Italy. This service delayed his studies in Rome for a year. While in Rome he completed several classically styled projects and in 1920 he was awarded the Diploma as a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome.

Kennedy returned from his studies in Italy in 1920. He obtained his first employment with the firm of York and Sawyer in New York City. However, the prevailing architectural design philosophy of this firm gave Kennedy no opportunity to express his creative and artistic talents. Subsequently Kennedy had a more rewarding design opportunity with the Greenley firm in New York.

His employment was to be short lived however since in 1920 Kennedy accepted the position of architectural designer within the "design and build" firm of Meyer & Holler in Los Angeles, California. In this position he began an expanded activity in his career. While associated with Meyer & Holler, Kennedy was able to leave his mark on the architectural landscape of early modern Los Angeles. In 1929 the firm of Meyer & Holler was greatly impacted by the Great Depression. The decline in real estate values and dramatically lowered demand for construction in general brought to an end the operations of Meyer & Holler.