Architect and professor Arthur F. Deam was born in Springfield, OH, and studied at Ohio State University and at Columbia University, where he earned a B.Arch. in 1923, winning the coveted Rome Prize that year. He was a fellow at the American Academy in Rome until 1926. After returning from Italy, Deam joined the office of D. H. Burnham Co. in Chicago as a designer, remaining there until 1930. While in Burnham's office, Deam served as a senior critic at the Armour Institute of Technology (1928, 1929). In 1930, he was appointed Professor in Charge of Design at the University of Illinois. He held that position until 1945 (returning in 1939 to the American Academy as a visiting professor), when he was appointed professor and chair of design at the University of Pennsylvania. He held this post until 1950, but remained a professor in the architecture department at Penn through 1956, when he was named to emeritus status. In addition to his teaching, Deam was employed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1944-1945, and joined the office of Baader, Young & Schultze in Philadelphia as a designer in 1947. He was the chief designer for a number of institutional projects in the region while in that office, where he remained until 1952 when he founded his own firm in the city. Deam was a member of the national AIA, and of Philadelphia Chapter. He was also a patron in the T-Square Club. He died in Deland, FL.

Written by Emily T. Cooperman, and Rima M. Girnius.