Clarence Justin Smale, also known as C.J. Smale,[1] (Nov. 2, 1886-Oct. 28, 1966) was an American architect.
Early life
Smale was born to John and Mary Smale on Nov. 2, 1886 in Ballona, California. He was one of six children. His father, born in Canada, was a farmer.[2] The Smale couple divorced by 1910, with Mary taking her children to live in Gull Harbor, Washington. It was there that Clarence learned the trade of house carpentry. At approximately age 21, he married a
Newfoundland native by the name of Rose. They had a daughter, Virginia, born in 1919.[2]
Career
Though Smale was working in architecture by at least 1917,[2] he formally founded his architectural firm in 1923. His chief draftsperson was
Edith Northman.[3][4] One of his design partners was Lewis Elbert Blaize and among his collaborations were works with Chisholm & Meikle[5] as well as
S. Charles Lee, the latter with whom he created Marchetti's Café (1925).[2] His own home, constructed in 1925, was located at 625 S. Rimpau Blvd. in the
Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles; it is still standing as of 2020 and is protected by an historic preservation overlay zone (HPOZ).[6] In his career, Smale designed homes for
Buster Keaton[5] and Monsignor Kenneth R. O'Brien, a prominent member of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.[7] Some of his work has varying ranges of historic protection, like the Loyola Theater, designated L.A. Historic-Cultural Resource Number 259, and the Monsignor O'Brien House, designated
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #861.