Charles Deaton
Encyclopedia
Charles U. Deaton was an architect who designed the futuristic Sculptured House
featured in the film Sleeper, and Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium
and Kauffman Stadium
.
Deaton was born in Clayton, New Mexico
and his family family lived in a tent on the Oklahoma plains for two years.
Deaton studied structural engineering, industrial design and architecture on his own, and earned certification. He designed the futuristic Sculptured House on Genesee Mountain near Denver, Colorado
that was featured in the Woody Allen
movie Sleeper. He also designed a similar Key Savings and Loan Association (now Colonial Bank
) in Colorado.
In 1967 Kansas City, Missouri
was planning to build a new multipurpose arena for its professional baseball and football teams. Deaton caught the ear of Kansas City Chiefs
General Manager Jack Steadman
and suggested building side by side stadiums for the two sports with each stadium customized to the needs of its individual sport. The entire complex would share communal parking and highway infrastructure. Deaton's design for Arrowhead Stadium
and Kauffman Stadium
(known collectively as the Truman Sports Complex
) was implemented by Kivett and Myers
.
Deaton was also a notable board game designer who received three US Patent
s for that work. He applied for his first patent at the age of 19 for the game Gusher, then sold by Carrom
Industries of Michigan
from 1940 through the early 1960s. Deaton received US Letters Patent 2,299,803 for Gusher in 1942.
Gusher is something of an improved version of Monopoly
-style trading games, with oil wildcatting as its theme. The main improvement how the board itself actually helps influence game play. The game board is shaken before play, and pieces that are distributed internally then determine which holes are dry wells or gushers.
Deaton's other two game patents also involve interactive boards. Deaton received US Letters Patent 2,295,452 in 1942 for the game Magnetic Minesweeper, marketed in 1941 by the Walco Bead Co.
of New York
. He received his third and final board game patent 4,078,805 in 1978 for Country Road.
Charles U. Deaton held numerous additional patents for his various commercial designs, including furniture and interior lighting. He received his final US Letters Patent 4,688,357 in 1987 for a multi-use baseball/football sports stadium with movable seating.
In 1969, Deaton was recognized by, and became a member of, the Horatio Alger Association.
Sculptured House
The Sculptured House, also known to locals as the Sleeper House, Star Trek House, Clamshell House, the Jetson House, or Flying Saucer House, is a distinctive elliptical curved house built on Genesee Mountain in 1963 by architect Charles Deaton...
featured in the film Sleeper, and Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
and Kauffman Stadium
Kauffman Stadium
Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium is a Major League Baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the Kansas City Royals of the American League. Together with Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, it is a part of the Truman Sports Complex...
.
Deaton was born in Clayton, New Mexico
Clayton, New Mexico
Clayton is a town in Union County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,524 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Union County. Tourists heading from Texas to Colorado often pass through Clayton, which is located in the northeast corner of New Mexico.Clayton is named for a son of...
and his family family lived in a tent on the Oklahoma plains for two years.
Deaton studied structural engineering, industrial design and architecture on his own, and earned certification. He designed the futuristic Sculptured House on Genesee Mountain near Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
that was featured in the Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
movie Sleeper. He also designed a similar Key Savings and Loan Association (now Colonial Bank
Colonial Bank
Colonial Bank, formerly a subsidiary of Colonial Bancgroup Inc., was headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. Colonial Bank had 346 branches in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Nevada and Texas. Colonial's assets had grown from $166 million in 1981 to $26 billion. This growth can be attributed...
) in Colorado.
In 1967 Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
was planning to build a new multipurpose arena for its professional baseball and football teams. Deaton caught the ear of Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
General Manager Jack Steadman
Jack Steadman
Jack W. Steadman is the former chairman, vice president, president and general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League....
and suggested building side by side stadiums for the two sports with each stadium customized to the needs of its individual sport. The entire complex would share communal parking and highway infrastructure. Deaton's design for Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
and Kauffman Stadium
Kauffman Stadium
Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium is a Major League Baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the Kansas City Royals of the American League. Together with Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, it is a part of the Truman Sports Complex...
(known collectively as the Truman Sports Complex
Truman Sports Complex
The Harry S. Truman Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.. It is home to two major sports venues- Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, and Kauffman Stadium, home of Major League Baseball's Kansas City...
) was implemented by Kivett and Myers
Kivett and Myers
Kivett & Myers was a Kansas City, Missouri architecture firm that pioneered the design of modern professional sports stadiums.Clarence Kivett graduated from the University of Kansas in 1928 and his first big design project was the art deco design of Katz Drug at Main Street and Westport in 1934...
.
Deaton was also a notable board game designer who received three US Patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s for that work. He applied for his first patent at the age of 19 for the game Gusher, then sold by Carrom
Carrom
Carrom is a family of tabletop games with gameplay that lies somewhere between billiards and table shuffleboard. Carrom is known by many names around the world, including carrum, couronne, carum, karam, karom, karum, fatta and finger billiards...
Industries of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
from 1940 through the early 1960s. Deaton received US Letters Patent 2,299,803 for Gusher in 1942.
Gusher is something of an improved version of Monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
-style trading games, with oil wildcatting as its theme. The main improvement how the board itself actually helps influence game play. The game board is shaken before play, and pieces that are distributed internally then determine which holes are dry wells or gushers.
Deaton's other two game patents also involve interactive boards. Deaton received US Letters Patent 2,295,452 in 1942 for the game Magnetic Minesweeper, marketed in 1941 by the Walco Bead Co.
Walco Bead Co.
Walco Bead Co. was one of the largest bead companies in the United States at the start of the 1900s. It was a landmark in New York's "bead alley" at 37 West 37th Street.- Overview :...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He received his third and final board game patent 4,078,805 in 1978 for Country Road.
Charles U. Deaton held numerous additional patents for his various commercial designs, including furniture and interior lighting. He received his final US Letters Patent 4,688,357 in 1987 for a multi-use baseball/football sports stadium with movable seating.
In 1969, Deaton was recognized by, and became a member of, the Horatio Alger Association.