Bennie M. Gonzales FAIA (June 11, 1924 – November 20, 2008) was an American architect known for a distinctive style of Southwestern architecture which has since been widely copied.

[1] As a child, Gonzales worked at his uncle's adobe brick factory, which produced building materials for the famed Arizona Biltmore Hotel.

[1] It was during his time in the Coast Guard that he earned the nickname "Bennie" when a military recruiter decided to call him that instead of his given name, Barnaby.

He also actively incorporated Southwestern and Arizonan-based cultural elements within his buildings, such as westward facing hogan entrances or patterns based on traditional Navajo rugs.

[1] His blending of brad angles and cultural elements produced a distinctive Southwestern style of architecture, which has been widely imitated throughout the region.

[2] The kiva, which is a Hopi term for an "open pit gathering space,"[2] was designed by Gonzales to have no walls or doors to separate it from the city hall's offices.

[2] Gonzales also designed hundreds of single family homes, multifamily residences and public buildings across Arizona.

[1] His home on Palo Christi in Paradise Valley was featured in the February 10, 1967 issue of Life Magazine.