The Thomas E. Keys Residence is a house in Rochester, Minnesota

Rochester, Minnesota

Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...

 designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...

 and built with earth berms in 1950. The design is based on a previous Wright design for a cooperative in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

, which never materialized due to the onset of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The house is an example of Wright's Usonian genre of architecture, a style he envisioned to meet the needs of middle class families desiring a more refined architecture for their homes. The house is located at 1217 Skyline Dr SW, a short distance from two other Wright designs, the A. H. Bulbulian Residence

A. H. Bulbulian Residence

The A. H. Bulbulian Residence is a house located at 1229 Skyline Drive, Rochester, Minnesota, United States. It was designed by noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright for Arthur H. Bulbulian, a pioneer in the field of facial prosthetics. It is down the street from the Thomas Keys House and not far...

 and the James McBean Residence

James McBean Residence

The James McBean Residence is a house in Rochester, Minnesota designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This Usonian house is an example of the second type of the Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses. This house and the Walter Rudin House have the same floor plan and vary only in minor details such as paint color...

.