Charles Deaton
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Charles U. Deaton (January 1, 1921-December 18, 1996) was an architect who designed the futuristic Sculptured House featured in Sleeper (movie) and first came up with the plan for the modern single use stadium that has been used by professional sports since the 1980s.
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 Patents 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. He received his final US Letters Patent 4,688,357 in 1987 for a multi-use baseball/football sports stadium with movable seating.
