Kirk started as a set decorator in 1921 and was promoted to full art director while working for
D.W. Griffithat United Artists. He was best known for his Parisian exteriors on
Orphans of the Storm (1921). Kirk remained with Griffith until 1925, then made the rounds of almost all the major Hollywood studios: Paramount (1926); Warner Brothers (1927); Columbia (1928); 20th Century Fox (1929-1930); RKO (1933-1937).