The Keyes House was designed by master architect Adam Lansing Dorr. It is an excellent example of his unique style and the transition from Queen Anne to Craftsman architecture.
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The Keyes House was designed by master architect Adam Lansing Dorr. It is an excellent example of his unique style and the transition from Queen Anne to Craftsman architecture.
The house was built in 1904 for Charles Frederick Keyes and his wife Ruth. At the time, the area surrounding Lake of the Isles was remote and wooded.
Adam Lansing Dorr was a prolific Minneapolis architect from 1882 to 1925. He designed over 100 buildings across the city, focusing primarily on residences. He mastered popular architectural styles as they emerged while personalizing each design.
Craftsman was a popular house style in the early 1900s. The Keyes House has a low-pitched hipped roof. Square columns support the porch roof. Wide overhanging eaves have exposed rafters. The wide lap wood siding on the first story and narrow lap on the second story is a hallmark of Dorr's designs.
Picturesque bay windows and dormers break up the flatness of the Craftsman design. These features are examples of the Queen Anne style, which dominated in the preceding decades.
Charles moved from Illinois to Minneapolis for college. He became a partner in a law firm and helped shape Minneapolis civic institutions. He was active in a variety of commissions and organizations. He was also a member of several social clubs. He ran for mayor in 1935 but was unsuccessful.
Charles died in 1955 at 81 years old. He and Ruth are buried in Lakewood Cemetery.
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