Frederick G. Kees was born in 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...

 in 1852. He eventually settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

 in 1880 after working as a draftsman

Technical drawing

Technical drawing, also known as drafting or draughting, is the act and discipline of composing plans that visually communicate how something functions or has to be constructed.Drafting is the language of industry....

. In 1885, Kees partnered with Franklin B. Long to form the architectural firm Long and Kees

Long and Kees

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 and Frederick Kees...

. After designing more than 13 buildings (including 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...

), Kees ended the partnership. He went on to partner 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...

 to create the firm Kees and Colburn which survived until 1925, the year of Colburn's death. Kees died two years later, in 1927.