Stelzer, Otto Emil
Otto Emil Stelzer (January 5, 1901 - April 1984), was a Swiss-German artist, poet, inventor, entrepreneur, sculptor, and engraver active in Chicago, Illinois; South Bend, Indiana; and Phoenix, Arizona. Stelzer was born in St. Gall, Switzerland. He emigrated to the United States in 1923, initially settling in South Bend, Indiana. He lived briefly in Chicago from 1920 - 1934, but relocated to German, St. Joseph, Indiana by 1935. During this period, in 1933, Stelzer produced two maps, a historical map of South Bend, Indiana as it appeared in 1831, and, in partnership with Walter Haddon Conley (1893 - 1936), a map of Chicago as it appeared in 1933. In 1941 he was employed as a commercial artist with the firm 'Advertising Artists' of South Bend, Indiana. Stelzer also, apparently, dabbled in poetry and was an inventor. For many years, he owned and managed the Aluminum Manufacturing Plant in South Bend, Indiana, from which he retired in 1969. Around this time, he relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, establishing Stelzer Studio, where he dabbled in sculpture, creating lamps, wall sculptures, and candelabras. He died in Phoenix, Arizona, in late April, 1984. In some references Stelzer's name is occasionally miswritten as 'D.E.'
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