Ely Jacques Kahn (1884–1972) was a prominent New York architect, known for his commercial skyscrapers. In 1937, AR spent six months in Kahn’s office, having offered to work without pay, learning the architecture business, preparatory to writing The Fountainhead.
June 26, 1948
Mr. Ely Jacques Kahn
2 Park Avenue
New York 16, N. Y.
Dear Mr. Kahn:
I was delighted to hear that you and Mrs. Kahn are coming to California, and I am looking forward eagerly to seeing you. Would you please telephone me when you arrive in Los Angeles? My phone number is RUgby 6-3941.
It is strangely and nicely appropriate that you will be here when Warner Bros. will be shooting the motion picture of THE FOUNTAINHEAD. You may have read in the papers that the picture is going into actual production at last. I have just finished writing the screenplay, and if all goes well, I think it will be a great picture. I hope I will have a chance to take you on the set and show you the shooting of a scene.
With best regards from both of us,
Sincerely,
Ayn Rand
AR.jk
AR’s daily calendar shows dinner and a “studio” visit with the Kahns, during their August 1948 visit to California.
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