In this week’s Artist Of Kansas City is another architect by the name of Charles Deaton. 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.
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 customized to its needs. The entire complex would share parking facilities and highway infrastructure. Deaton’s design for Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium was implemented by 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 in Kansas City. He was joined by Ralph Myers in 1940. They went on to design the Cumonow Residence in Mission Hills, the Missouri State Office Building at 13th and Holmes, the old Temple B’nai Jehudah at 69th and Holmes, Spencer Chemistry and Biological Sciences Building at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and the Fairmount Hotel in the Country Club Plaza and the Mission Hills Country Club clubhouse.
Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). It is part of the Truman Sports Complex with adjacent Kauffman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Arrowhead Stadium has a seating capacity of 76,416, making it the 27th largest stadium in the United States and the sixth-largest NFL stadium. It is also the largest sports facility by capacity in the state of Missouri. A $375 million renovation was completed in 2010.
Unfortunately, Deaton died in Morrison, Colorado at the age of 75. His work is now the staple of Kansas City for both the Royals and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Artists of Kansas City 