Minneapolis-based Long and Kees was an architectural firm that designed some of Minneapolis's most important historical buildings. It was named for its two proprietors, Franklin B. Long (1842–1912) and Frederick Kees

Frederick Kees

Frederick G. Kees was born in Maryland in 1852. He eventually settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1880 after working as a draftsman. In 1885, Kees partnered with Franklin B. Long to form the architectural firm Long and Kees. After designing more than 13 buildings , Kees ended the partnership...

 (1852-1927). While the firm designed many buildings over its 12 year existence, its most prominent is probably the Minneapolis City Hall

Minneapolis City Hall

Minneapolis City Hall and Hennepin County Courthouse , designed by Long and Kees in 1888, is the main building used by the city government of Minneapolis, Minnesota as well as by Hennepin County, Minnesota...

.
Long and Kees was formed when Minneapolis native Long partnered with Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

-born Kees in 1885. The firm built churches, offices, schools and houses, mostly in the Richardsonian Romanesque

Richardsonian Romanesque

Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...

 style. Many of Long and Kees's buildings still stand, such as the Lumber Exchange Building

Lumber Exchange Building

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

 (1885), Hennepin Center for the Arts

Hennepin Center for the Arts

The Hennepin Center for the Arts was built in 1888 as a Masonic Temple. The structure was built by Long and Kees in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. In 1978, it was purchased and underwent a renovation to become the HCA. It is located at 528 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis,...

 (1888), the Flour Exchange Building

Flour Exchange Building

The Flour Exchange Building is an office building in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota designed by architects Long and Kees, who also designed Minneapolis City Hall and the Lumber Exchange Building. Construction originally began in 1892, but halted abruptly in 1893 after only four floors had been...

 (1892), and the City Hall, which, although designed before the firm's end in 1897, was not completed until 1906. However, many of Long and Kees's buildings have been destroyed, for example, the first Minneapolis Public Library

Minneapolis Public Library

The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center was a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the publicly traded Minneapolis Athenæum in 1860 and became a free public library in 1885 founded by T. B. Walker...

 and the Minneapolis Corn Exchange.
After Long and Kees disbanded their firm, Kees partnered with Serenus Colburn

Serenus Colburn

Serenus Milo Colburn 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 Channing Whitney in 1891...

from 1897-1921.