Arthur T. Brown
Arthur Thomas Brown (April 20, 1900 – October 24, 1993) was an American architect who is remembered as “Tucson’s pioneer of solar design.”[1]
Biography[edit]
Brown was born in Tarkio, Missouri, and studied at Ohio State University, graduating in 1927. He worked at the Century of Progress exposition in Chicago in 1932 and 1933. Both a fine art painter and trained architect, Brown arrived in Tucson in 1936 and opened his own architectural firm by 1941. He was a member of the exclusive Tucson Palette and Brush Club and the Tucson Fine Arts Association. He is recognized as a "pioneer" in the development of passive solar heating and passive cooling.[2][3]
His buildings have only recently gained recognition. Many of his works have been lost including: Tucson General Hospital, Tucson Biltmore Motor Hotel and Tucson's Carnegie Free Library (Tucson Children's Museum) wall. His residential projects are scattered throughout Tucson's post World War II mid-century expansion district.
Many of his buildings remain in Tucson including: the First Christian Church at 740 E. Speedway Boulevard, Faith Lutheran Church, 5th street. Delectables Restaurant on N 4th Avenue is also Brown's. It was built in 1945 for the Ingham and Ingham Harley-Davidson dealership. The changes made were primarily interior. He also designed the RON-Tel Hotel ("remain over-night" hotel for pilots) at Tucson International Airport, remodeled in 1976 as airport personnel offices, and a newly demolished (late 2016) airport restaurant, The Tower Grill, which showcased Brown's imaginative "folded plate" roofline.
Buildings[edit]
- 1946: Rosenberg House (Tucson)[4][5][6][7]
- 1947: Clifford Goldsmith House (Tucson)
- 1948: Rose Elementary School (Tucson)[8]
- 1949: Faith Lutheran Church (Tucson)[9]
- 1949: Hirsch house (Tucson)
- 1950: Ball-Paylore House (Tucson)[10]
- 1952: Tucson Chamber of Commerce building
- 1953: G.C. Trego house[11]
- 1956: 4535 N. Osage Drive, Edmonson house (Tucson)
- 1959: 2928 N Orlando Avenue (Tucson)
- 1963–70: Tucson General Hospital (later destroyed)[12]
- 1966: 4315 N. La Linda Rama (Tucson)
Awards and honors[edit]
- American Institute of Architects College of Fellows (FAIA), 1961
Patents[edit]
- Design For A House (US Patent 135609, filed 1943, granted 1943)
- Lightweight Building Construction (US Patent 2440843, filed 1943, granted 1948)
- Method Of Producing A Shell Roof Structure (US Patent 3200026, filed 1960, granted 1965)
- Method Of Producing Shell Roof Structure (US Patent 3263322, filed 1959, granted 1966)
- Conduit System For Structures Having Masonry Walls And Door Frames (US Patent 3303616, filed 1963, granted 1967)
References[edit]
- ^ Nequette, Anne M.; R. Brooks Jeffery (2002). A Guide to Tucson Architecture. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
- ^ Denzer, Anthony (2013). The Solar House: Pioneering Sustainable Design. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0847840052. Archived from the original on 2013-07-26.
- ^ Denzer, Anthony; Novikova-Kinney, Polina, "Arthur T. Brown: Pioneer of Passive Solar Architecture" (PDF), 2010 ASES National Solar Conference, archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-04-28
- ^ Progressive Architecture, June 1947
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Progressive Architecture, October 1948
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ House and Garden, July 1956
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Fine Homebuilding, October–November 1982
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Architectural Record, August 1956
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Mid-century modern church celebrates 75th diamond jubilee". KGUN 9 Tucson News. 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
- ^ http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt0s20289g/ [dead link]
- ^ Arizona Highways, September 1953
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Tucson General Hospital by Peg Price".
- Wayne, Kathryn M., Arthur T. Brown, FAIA, Vance Bibliographies, 1987.
- Tucson Home Magazine, Arthur T. Brown, Architects of Influence, 2008.
External links[edit]
- "Arthur T. Brown Resources". solarhousehistory.com. 27 September 2023.