Arthur Thomas Brown (April 20, 1900 – October 24, 1993) was an American architect who is remembered as “Tucson’s pioneer of solar design.”[1] 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.
His residential projects are scattered throughout Tucson's post World War II mid-century expansion district.
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.