McEnary, Krafft, Birch & Kilgore (firm)

Name

McEnary, Krafft, Birch & Kilgore

Location

MN

Firm History Sources

Historical Information:
Contributed by Northwest Architectural Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries, Minneapolis
Dale McEnary and Edwin Krafft formed their partnership in 1934 to design a large country house at Lake Minnetonka for Rufus Rand. This house today is the corporate headquarters of Cargill, Inc. Their pre-World War II practice continued to concentrate on prestigious residences and culminated in 1941 in the design for the modern Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank in Minneapolis. After the war, the firm diversified into all types of architecture, concentrating on the design of traditional churches but also encompassing factories, retail stores, warehouses, apartment buildings, parking ramps, theaters, and schools. Merrill Birch and Robert Kilgore became partners in the firm in 1963.

Related Records

Dale Robert McEnary
Edwin W. Krafft
Merrill Arthur Birch
Robert Austin Kilgore
Frederick M. Mann
McEnary & Krafft (firm)
McEnary & Krafft, I. Coryell, Associate, Architects (firm)

Archival Holdings

Northwest Architectural Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries, Minneapolis
      McEnary, Krafft, Birch & Kilgore Papers (N 18)
      The collection contains the plans for many of the firm's buildings including the Kedney Warehouse Service Building, Miller Cafeteria and the F&M Savings Bank building. There are also plans by other architects: Alpha Rho Chi fraternity house (University of Minnesota, 1925), the Craddick and Haglin residences (1923) all designed by Frederick Mann, who was chief designer in the firm. Walter Wheeler's plans for the Cream of Wheat building, W. C. Whitney's Dunwoody residence, the Lakewood Cemetery Chapel by Harry Jones and other plans are included. The papers also contain correspondence, specifications and some photographs.
For more information https://www.lib.umn.edu/naa

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