Phoebe B. Stanton, born 1915 in Carroll County, Ill., was a scholar in the fields of art history and architecture. Stanton split her childhood between Chicago and Lebanon. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Holyoke College in 1937 and a master’s degree in modern European history from Radcliffe College in 1939. In the midst of her graduate studies, she became employed with the Navy and the Board of Economic Welfare. She earned her doctorate from the University of London in 1950 and worked at the American Embassy in London. Stanton settled in Baltimore with her husband, city planner Daniel J. Stanton.

Stanton taught art history at the Johns Hopkins University for more than 20 years. In 1971, Stanton was named the William R. Keenan Jr. Professorial Chair of the art history department. She also wrote extensively about architecture for the Baltimore Sun from 1971 to 1976, published several books, and participated in Baltimore’s design review committees. She was also the first recipient of the Baltimore Architecture Foundation's Golden Griffin, recognized for "a sustained commitment to Baltimoreans and their architecture." Stanton also taught at Reed, Bryn Mawr, and Goucher colleges. She died September 24, 2003.