Long and Kees 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 based in Minneapolis, Minnesota active for a twelve-year period starting in 1885 and ending in 1897. Named for its two proprietors, Franklin B. Long (1842–1912) and

Frederick Kees Frederick G. Kees (April 9, 1852 – March 16, 1927) was an American architect notable for his work in Minnesota and partnerships with Franklin B. Long and Serenus Colburn. Life and career Kees was born in Baltimore, Maryland on April 9, ...

(1852-1927), the firm designed several notable churches, offices, schools and houses, including

Minneapolis City Hall Minneapolis City Hall and Hennepin County Courthouse (also known as the Municipal Building), designed by Long and Kees in 1888, is the main building used by the city government of Minneapolis, as well as by Hennepin County, in the U.S. state of Mi ...

. Most of the buildings designed by Long and Kees reflect the Richardsonian-Romanesque style.

History

The firm was established in 1885 when Franklin Long, having recently relocated to Minneapolis from Chicago, partnered with

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

-born Frederick Kees. In later years, Long added his son Louis Long as a partner, as well as Lowell A. Lamoreaux. After Long and Kees disbanded their firm, Kees partnered with

Serenus Colburn Serenus Milo Colburn (1871-1927) was an architect who worked in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the Golden Age of Flour Producing. Born in Ansonia, Connecticut on October 12, 1871, Colburn eventually came to work as head draftsman under William Chan ...

starting in 1898 and ending in 1921.

Legacy

Many of Long and Kees's buildings remain standing today, such as the

Lumber Exchange Building The Lumber Exchange Building was the first skyscraper built in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, dating to 1885. It was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by Franklin B. Long and Frederick Kees and was billed as one of the fir ...

(1885),

Hennepin Center for the Arts The Hennepin Center for the Arts (HCA) is an art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It occupies a building on Hennepin Avenue constructed in 1888 as a Masonic Temple. The building was designed by Long and Kees in the Richardsonian ...

(1888), the

Flour Exchange Building The Flour Exchange Building is an office building in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, designed by architects Long and Kees, who also designed Minneapolis City Hall and the Lumber Exchange Building. Construction originally began in ...

(1892), Hawthorn Terrace Apartments (20-26 N. 15th St., 1892), William Nott residence (15 Groveland Terrace, 1892) and Minneapolis City Hall (designed in 1897; completed in 1906). At the same time, a number of buildings designed by Long and Kees have been demolished, such as the first

Minneapolis Public Library The Minneapolis Public Library (MPL) was a library system that served the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded in 1885 with the establishment of the Minneapolis Library Board by an amendment to the Minneapolis ...

(1889), the

Minneapolis Corn Exchange 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 ...

, and Donaldson's Glass Block.

References

{{Authority control Architects from Minnesota Defunct companies based in Minneapolis