Serenus Milo Colburn was an architect who worked 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...

 during the Golden Age of Flour Producing. Born in Ansonia, Connecticut

Ansonia, Connecticut

Ansonia is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, on the Naugatuck River, immediately north of Derby and about northwest of New Haven. The population was 19,249 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code for Ansonia is 06401. The city is serviced by the Metro North railroad...

 on October 12, 1871, Colburn eventually came to work as head draftsman under William Channing Whitney

William Channing Whitney

William Ellery Channing Whitney was an American architect who practised in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Born in Harvard, Massachusetts, the son of Benjamin F. Whitney, he was educated at Lawrence Academy at Groton, Connecticut, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his B.S. from the...

 in 1891. He left his position there in 1899 to work with 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...

 in the newly formed architectural firm Kees and Colburn.
The firm enjoyed success creating houses, schools and buildings such as the Loring Theater. In 1921, after more than 20 years of working together, the firm disbanded. Colburn went on to work with Ernest Forsell until his death on January 13, 1927.