Dean L. Gustavson, FAIA
NCARB President 1969-1970

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During Dean L. Gustavson’s time as president of NCARB in 1970, he oversaw the burgeoning importance of a standardized, national profession examination, which eventually led to the Architect Registration Examination (ARE).

Gustavson was born in 1924 in Salt Lake City, UT, where he attended high school and lived until serving in the Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1946. After flying in the European Theatre in World War II, Gustavson completed his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture in 1951 at the University of California, Berkeley.

As president of Dean L. Gustavson Associates from 1953 onwards, he led his firm in the design of several highly recognized projects. His work on the Western Savings Building of Portland, OR, was granted a Merit Award in Design from the Utah Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1967. Additionally, projects for the First Security Bank in Salt Lake City and the Merrill Engineering Building at the University of Utah were also recognized by the Western Mountain Region of the AIA.

In addition to his work on several NCARB committees in the 1960s-1970, Gustavson served nine years as president of the Utah State Architectural Registration Board and four years as chairman for the Building and Construction Committee of Salt Lake City. He was also an amateur aviator and astronomer.