KKE Architects (formerly Korsunsky Krank Erickson Architects) was an

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

firm that serves in the fields of architecture,

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordi ...

and architectural planning. KKE was ranked one of the top 50 architectural firms in the United States by

Building Design Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licensed architect. Smaller, less complica ...

& Construction and a Top 500

Design Firm A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

by Engineering News-Record. They had offices in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, Pasadena, California,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

and

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. KKE had licensure in every state of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Staff architects are members of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

and several hold

National Council of Architectural Registration Boards The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) is a nonprofit corporation comprising the legally constituted architectural registration boards of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puert ...

(NCARB) certification and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation. In July 2010, KKE Architects announced it was joining national design firm

DLR Group DLR Group is an employee-owned integrated design firm providing architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design. Their brand promise is to elevate the human experience through design. A self-described advocate for sustainable design, th ...

. KKE offices in Minneapolis; Las Vegas; Tucson; and Pasadena and Irvine, California were merged into DLR Group and operate today as DLR Group.

History

Jerry Korsunsky and Ron Krank met at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

in 1956. Korsunsky was a registered architect with the physical plant department, and Krank was a student worker. The two men met a second time at Ellerbe Architects in 1959. In 1960, Krank started working for

Victor Gruen Associates Victor David Gruen, born Viktor David Grünbaum
retrieved 25 February 2012 (July 18, 1903 – February 1 ...

, the creators of the regional mall concept, and acquired his shopping mall experience. In 1968, Korsunsky and Krank decided to form a partnership. While working on the Point of France Condominiums in 1973, Ron Erickson answered an ad for a key project manager. Korsunsky and Krank liked that Erickson was artistic (he showed them his water colors) and had great energy and enthusiasm, so they hired him."Interpersonal ties" by Richard Nelson, ''Architecture Minnesota'', November/December 1993 Erickson became a partner in the firm in 1977, and the company became known as Korsunsky Krank Erickson Architects. Korsunsky retired in 1991, and Krank retired in 2001. The firm officially became KKE Architects in 2001. Korsunsky died at the age of 83 on March 30, 2009.

Notes

{{reflist Defunct architecture firms based in Minnesota