Dean Leonard Gustavson
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects
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Image via The Salt Lake Tribune1
Image via Ancestry2
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Table of Contents
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Birth Date and Place
(Scroll to Top)b. June 27, 1924
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA -
Death Date and Place
(Scroll to Top)d. September 19, 2011
Holladay, Utah, USA -
Obituaries
(Scroll to Top)http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?n=dean-l-gustavson&pid=153753584
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Universities Attended
(Scroll to Top)University of Utah, studied art and engineering, 1942, 1946-1947
University of California, Berkeley, Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, 1948-1951 -
Architectural License
(Scroll to Top)Licensed in 1954
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Professional Career
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Awards and Certificates
(Scroll to Top)- National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) certified.
- Received an Honor Award for Design from the Western Mountain Region of the American Institute of Architects (AIA WMR) in 1956 for the Green River High School in Green River, Utah.3
- Received an Architectural Record Award of Excellence in House Design in 1960 for the Dean L. Gustavson Residence in Holladay, Utah.
- Received an Honorable Mention for Design from the Western Mountain Region of the AIA in 1961 for the Joseph F. Merrill Engineering Center at the University of Utah.
- Received recognition in “Who’s Who in the West,” in 1963-1968 and again in 1970.
- Received a Merit Award for Design from AIA Utah in 1966 for the Western Savings Building in Portland, Oregon.
- Received a Merit Award for Design from AIA Utah in 1966 for the First Security Bank, Cottonwood Branch, in Salt Lake City.
- Received recognition in “Who’s Who in Commerce and Industry,” in 1966-1968.4
- Received a Merit Award for Design from AIA Utah in 1967 for the Fort Douglas Country Club in Salt Lake City.
- Received the Merit Award for Design from AIA WMR in 1968 for the First Security Bank, Cottonwood Branch, in Salt Lake City, Utah.5
- Elevated to Fellowship in The American Institute of Architects (FAIA) in 1970.
- The Skyline High School in Salt Lake City, Utah was selected for exhibit in 1961 by the American Association of School Administrators.
- The Skyline High School in Salt Lake City, Utah was also selected for exhibit in 1961 by the UNESCO Exhibit in London, England.6
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Publications
(Scroll to Top)Dean L. Gustavson Associates Architects work was reviewed in the following:7
- Progressive Architecture, August of 1959. “Progress Report: Work of Dean L. Gustavson Associates.”
- L’architecture d’aujourd’hui, 1959. Green River High School.
- Architectural Record, “Record Houses of 1960” for the Dean L. Gustavson House.
- Architectural Forum.
- German Steel Institutions, 1960. For the “Steel Houses of Dean L. Gustavson Associates.”
- “Schoolhouse,” Green River High School, Simon and Schuster, N.Y.
- “Einfamillenhäuser in Stahlbauioeise,” 1961. Düsseldorf, Germany. For the residence of Dean L. Gustavson.
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Significant Contributions
(Scroll to Top)- United States Air Force, 1942-1946.8
- Secretary of the Western Mountain Region of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), 1956-1957.
- Treasurer, Vice President, and President of the Utah Chapter of the AIA, 1957-1960.
- Public Relations Chairman, Utah Chapter of the AIA, 1956-1959.
- Chairman, Development Plan Committee of the Utah Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), 1956-1962 and in 1960-1962.
- Member, Utah State Board of Architectural Registration, 1960-1963 and in 1964-1966.
- Chairman, Building Construction Committee Member of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, 1962-1964.
- Correspondent Member, Urban Design Committee of the AIA, 1965-1966.
- Chairman, Utah State Board of Architectural Registration, 1963-1964 and in 1966-1967.
- Chairman, Western Conference of Architectural Registration Boards, 1966-1967.
- Member, Board of Directors of the National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB), 1966-1967.
- Member, NCARB Policy and Procedures Committee, 1966-1967.
- Chairman, Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, Building and Construction Committee, 1966-1967.
- Member, Utah State Architectural Registration Board, 1967-1968.
- Member, Urban Design Committee of the Utah Chapter of the AIA, 1967-1968.
- Second Vice President, NCARB, 1967-1968.
- Chairman, Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, Urban Development and Planning Committee, 1967-1968.
- Design Awards Juror, AIA Arizona and AIA Idaho, 1967.
- Design Awards Juror, AIA North Dakota, 1968.
- Correspondent Member, Urban Design Committee of the AIA, 1967-1968.
- President, Utah Architectural Registration Board, 1968-1969.
- (First) Vice President, NCARB, 1968-1969.
- Member, Four-Power Committee of Presidents of the AIA, NCARB, National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ASCA), 1968-1969.
- Chairman, North Dakota Chapter of the Honor Awards Jury, 1968-1970.
- Member, Accrediting Team of the NAAB at the University of New Mexico, 1969-1970.
- President, NCARB, 1969-1970.9
- Lecturer on City and Community Planning in several cities in the Western United States including Phoenix, Arizona; Eugene, Salem, Medford, and Portland, Oregon; Great Falls, Montana; Ogden, Utah; and Rapid City, South Dakota.
- Lecturer in Urban Design at Arizona State University in spring of 1963.
- Paper presented as part of “Urban Studies Series,” at Oregon State University in 1965.10
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Significant Buildings w/ Location
(Scroll to Top)
Tabiona High School
10 North Main, Tabiona, Utah 84072
1982
Building Type: Educational - Elementary/Secondary
Click here for more information »
Western Savings and Loan, Salt Lake City
41 East 100 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
1970
Building Type: Financial - Offices Above
Click here for more information »
Western Savings and Loan, Portland
Portland, Oregon
1963
Building Type: Financial - Offices Above
Click here for more information »
Skyline High School
3251 East 3760 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84109
1962
Building Type: Educational - Elementary/Secondary
Click here for more information »
Joseph F. Merrill Engineering Building, University of Utah
72 Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
1960
Building Type: University
Click here for more information »
The Gustavson Residence
Holladay, Utah
1957
Building Type: Residential
Click here for more information »
Green River High School
455 West 400 North, Green River, Utah 84525
1955
Building Type: Educational - Elementary/Secondary
Click here for more information »
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Biography
(Scroll to Top)Dean Leonard Gustavson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 27th, 1924 to Ernest and Leona Gustavson.11 During Mr. Gustavson’s youth, he attended South High School in Salt Lake City from 1938-1941.12 After graduating from high school, Mr. Gustavson enrolled at the University of Utah where he studied art and engineering. At the young age of 19, and in the middle of his studies, Mr. Gustavson enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a B-17 and B-24 pilot, serving from 1942 until 1946.13 As a World War II pilot and Air Corps Lieutenant, Mr. Gustavson took on reconnaissance missions over the Atlantic Ocean. Flying planes continued to be an enjoyment and hobby for the rest of his life. During his later years, Mr. Gustavson, with the help of his son, restored a World War II vintage Stearman Biplane and it was said that he could be seen flying his planes in Southern Utah.14 Near the end of the War, Mr. Gustavson was stationed in Paris where he visited the cathedrals of Notre Dame, Rheims, and Chartres, and in Germany, Cologne. It was during these visits that Mr. Gustavson stated that this architecture really “whetted his urge to be an architect.”15
After the War, Mr. Gustavson attended the University of Utah but the University’s School of Architecture department had not yet fully formed.16 Then in 1947, while on the GI Bill, Mr. Gustavson transferred to the University of California, Berkeley. At UC Berkeley, he graduated with his degree in architecture in 1951.17 Between 1951 and 1953, Mr. Gustavson worked with a local Salt Lake architect and additionally took on some teaching assignments at the University of Utah.18 In 1953, he established his own firm the Dean L. Gustavson Associates, Architects/Planners, which experienced extreme success within just years. In 1960, his business became an 11-man firm, which according to The Salt Lake Tribune’s article posted in that year; the firm “poled up a brisk five-million dollar gross volume.”19
Throughout his career, Mr. Gustavson was very involved in the profession of architecture. He led the Utah Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Utah State Architectural Registration Board and became president of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Locally, Mr. Gustavson served on the Building and Construction Committee of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, and from 1960 to 1963, he chaired the Development Plan Committee for Second Century Plans for Salt Lake City. This plan had a significant impact on Salt Lake City and received national recognition and acclaim.20
Mr. Gustavson also received recognition for his own architectural contributions to the field. At age 32, he received national and international recognition for the Green River High School, which was publicized in journals in France and Germany and he received the Honor Award from the Western Mountain Region of the AIA.21 Mr. Gustavson’s own residence that he designed, just off of Highland Drive in Holladay, Utah, was documented in the Architectural Record’s “Record Houses of 1960.” Recognition for his house also appeared in the German Steel Institutions publication of “Steel Houses of 1960.”22
One of his most significant contributions was in 1966 in the area of architectural registration as the chairman of the Western Conference of the Architectural Registration Boards. In this position, he implemented uniform state registration application forms, standard examinations and a criterion for the grading process.23 In 1969, as president of NCARB, he prepared and reported on new proposals for education, internships, examinations, and professional distinctions within the field of architecture.24 In 1970, Mr. Gustavson was elevated to Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects.25
Mr. Gustavson was certainly a proponent of the modern architectural style, as seen in the Joseph F. Merrill Engineering Building on the University of Utah’s campus. He denied any claim that modern architecture was cold and too edgy. In a Salt Lake Tribune article from 1961, he noted, “Selected use of materials, color and space can make modern architecture as ‘warm’ as any of the traditional idioms.”26 Mr. Gustavson was also very concerned with the rise of traffic in the Salt Lake Valley and had hoped to make a rapid transit solution similar to that seen in France and Germany. He was continually influenced by the building designs and transportation systems he had seen in Europe.
Dean L. Gustavson & Associates were involved in the construction of well-known buildings both in Salt Lake City and on the University of Utah’s campus. He worked on the first phase (out of four) of the Engineering Building, to which his firm had been chosen for this initial phase by Martin Brixen and his firm.27 Brixen noted about the design and construction of the building as an interesting one, to which he said, “It created a lot of interest on campus because it was a departure from brick buildings.”28 The Engineering Building was finally completed in 1960.
Mr. Gustavson’s firm received many awards and recognitions. In 1966, Dean L. Gustavson & Associates won two awards for design on both the Cottonwood Branch of the First Security Bank and for the Western Savings and Loan office in Portland, Oregon.29 In 1967, Dean L. Gustavson & Associates were one of eight firms that were given awards of merit for both superior design and construction.30 At the annual dinner held in January of that year at the University Club for the Utah Chapter, American Institute of Architecture, Dean L. Gustavson & Associates were awarded for the remodeling and expansion of the Fort Douglas Country Club.31
In the 1980s, Mr. Gustavson built a home in St. George where he and his wife, Barbara, planned to spend their retirement years together. During this time, Mr. Gustavson and his firm managed the design and redevelopment of the UC Berkeley and UC Davis campuses.32
Mr. Gustavson also had many interests and hobbies aside from architecture and airplanes. He was interested in astronomy and built an observatory in the backyard of his home in Holladay.33 He was also very interested in history, painted watercolors, and was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.34 On September 19th, 2011, Dean Leonard Gustavson passed away.
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Sources
(Scroll to Top)1. “Dean L. Gustavson,” The Salt Lake Tribune, September 22-23, 2011, accessed April 2016, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?n=dean-l-gustavson&pid=153753584.
2. “Dean Leonard Gustavson,” Ancestry, accessed April 2016, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=ROOT_CATEGORY&rank=1&new=1&so=1&MSAV=0&msT=1&gss=ms_f-2_s&gsfn=Dean&gsln=Gustavson&msdpn__ftp=UT.
3. “Firm’s Achievement in Architectural Design" in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 12. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
4. “Biographical Sketch, dated January 1, 1969” in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 13. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
5. “Firm’s Achievement in Architectural Design," in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 12. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
6. “Firm’s Achievement in Architectural Design," in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 12. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
7. “Firm’s Achievement in Architectural Design," in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 12. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
8. “3 Principals Buy S.L. Architecture Firm,” Deseret News, September 11, 1991, accessed April 2016, http://www.deseretnews.com/article/182585/3-PRINCIPALS-BUY-SL-ARCHITECTURE-FIRM.html?pg=all.
9. “Biographical Sketch, dated January 1, 1969” in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 13. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
10. “Biographical Sketch, dated January 1, 1969” in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 13. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
11. The American Institute of Architects, American Architects Directory (New York, New York: R.R. Bowker Company, 1970), http://public.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/ahd1017498.aspx.
12. “Biographical Sketch, dated January 1, 1969” in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 13. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
13. “Dean L. Gustavson,” The Salt Lake Tribune, September 22-23, 2011, accessed April 2016, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?n=dean-l-gustavson&pid=153753584; “Biographical Sketch, dated January 1, 1969” in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 13. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
14. “Dean L. Gustavson,” The Salt Lake Tribune, September 22-23, 2011, accessed April 2016, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?n=dean-l-gustavson&pid=153753584; “Biographical Sketch, dated January 1, 1969” in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 13. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
15. “Flier? Architect? Both Dreams Fulfilled,” The Salt Lake Tribune, January 8th, 1961, page 2C.
16. “Flier? Architect? Both Dreams Fulfilled,” The Salt Lake Tribune, January 8th, 1961, page 2C.
17. The American Institute of Architects, American Architects Directory (New York, New York: R.R. Bowker Company, 1970), http://public.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/ahd1017498.aspx.
18. “Flier? Architect? Both Dreams Fulfilled,” The Salt Lake Tribune, January 8th, 1961, page 2C.
19. “Flier? Architect? Both Dreams Fulfilled,” The Salt Lake Tribune, January 8th, 1961, page 2C.
20. “Gustavson, Service to the Profession, Attachment A,” in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 12. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
21. “Flier? Architect? Both Dreams Fulfilled,” The Salt Lake Tribune, January 8th, 1961, page 2C.
22. “Flier? Architect? Both Dreams Fulfilled,” The Salt Lake Tribune, January 8th, 1961, page 2C.
23. “Gustavson, Service to the Profession, Attachment A,” in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 12. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
24. “Gustavson, Service to the Profession, Attachment A,” in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 12. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
25. “Correspondence, The American Institute of Architects, Preston M. Bolton to Dean L. Gustavson, March 27, 1970.” in the R. Lloyd Snedaker Papers, accn 1105, box 6, folder 13. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
26. “Flier? Architect? Both Dreams Fulfilled,” The Salt Lake Tribune, January 8th, 1961, page 2C.
27. Oral History Interview with Martin Brixen, December 9th, 12th, and 19th, 1988. Interview numbers 1-4. The Everett L. Cooley Oral History Project (#197, Acc 814), pg. 32. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
28. Oral History Interview with Martin Brixen, December 9th, 12th, and 19th, 1988. Interview numbers 1-4. The Everett L. Cooley Oral History Project (#197, Acc 814), pg. 33. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
29. William A. Dunn, “Design for the Future,” The Deseret News, January 22nd, 1966.
30. William A. Dunn, “Design for the Future,” The Deseret News, January 22nd, 1966.
31. William A. Dunn, “Design for the Future,” The Deseret News, January 22nd, 1966.
32. “Dean L. Gustavson,” The Salt Lake Tribune, September 22-23, 2011, accessed April 2016, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?n=dean-l-gustavson&pid=153753584.
33. “Dean L. Gustavson,” The Salt Lake Tribune, September 22-23, 2011, accessed April 2016, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?n=dean-l-gustavson&pid=153753584.
34. “Flier? Architect? Both Dreams Fulfilled,” The Salt Lake Tribune, January 8th, 1961, page 2C.
35.
