James Dayton started his career working in the office of Frank Gehry, the Los Angeles-based “starchitect,” before founding his own Minneapolis-based firm in 1997. Dayton has done a wide range of projects including condos (Bookmen Lofts, Bookmen Stacks) and commercial work (headquarters and warehouse for The Creative Company, based in Mankato), but he’s perhaps best known for his acumen for arts-related projects. The local list includes the MacPhail Center for Music, the Highpoint Center for Printmaking and the Minnetonka Center for the Arts. Dayton has a gift for iconic, modernist-inspired work, attention to interiors and public spaces.