The undersung masters of the mid west.

Have you heard of Keck & Keck? While their achievements were impressive and groundbreaking, they are “underknown” pioneers of Mid Century Modern architecture. Typically when we think of Mid Century Modern architecture, we think of the 50s-70s. But the movement’s pioneers actually predate this timeframe—think Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. Keck & Keck deserve to be included as equal members on that list. Read on to discover why.

Want to see a Keck & Keck house in-person? Get a chance to tour one as part of Atomic Ranch and the Chicago Modernist Collective’s Super Tour in Chicago! The two-day event will include a house tour of a Keck & Keck-designed home. For more on the event and to get your tickets, click here. To learn more about our co-sponsor, the Chicago Modernist Collective, find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Original facemat lettered, “Building for Chicago Child Care Society Inc. – George Fred Keck – William Keck – Architects”. Credit: Art Institute Chicago/Creative Commons Zero

Keck & Keck Beginnings

George “Fred” Frederick Keck and William Keck were brothers born in Watertown, Wisconsin at the turn of the century—1895 and 1908 respectively. Their father repaired and upholstered furniture, and their mother maintained an interest in painting. Perhaps all these things were influences on the two brothers. Fred Keck first studied engineering at the University of Wisconsin and later changed to architectural engineering at the University of Illinois. William studied at Northwestern College in their hometown of Watertown and eventually graudated with a degree in architecture from the University of Illinois. Fred worked briefly in New York before moving to Chicago and starting his own firm in 1926, where his younger brother joined him in 1931. Both were influenced by the Bauhaus’ emphasis on functionality, willingness to use new materials and approach building houses with fresh perspective, always looking to improve.

a one-story mid century modern home designed with brick facade — Dr. Robert Hohf House in Kenilworth (1957). Designed by Keck & Keck, it is the only International Style residence in Kenilworth. The Kecks received a Certificate of Merit in Residental Design from the AIA for the house in 1961. Hohf was the head of vascular surgery at Evanston Hospital, who died in 1993. The Blood Flow Laboratory int he hospital was dedicated to him after his retirement in 1978. He was branch president of the American Medical Association in 1968 and was president of the Chicago and Midwest Surgical Societies. He was a member of the board of trustees at Yankton College in his South Dakota hometown. His wife Nydia still lives in the house. Dr. Robert Hohf House/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Alexa Glade DeTogne, principal of Lexa Glade Design and co-founder of the Chicago Modernist Collective, says of Keck & Keck, “They were brilliant engineers ahead of their time. The Highland Park home (that you can see as part of the Atomic Ranch/Chicago Modernist Collective event in September) is an incredible example and could probably withstand a nuclear fallout. Everything down to the heating and cooling system was really ahead of its time as well as the passive solar design, integrating ventilation, louvered windows. How perfect it feels when you’re in one of their interiors!”

The House of Tomorrow

The Kecks are probably most well known for their House of Tomorrow, a 12-sided glass and steel house with a garage and airplane hangar on the ground level. The house was designed for the 1933-1934 Century of Progress Exhibition—15 years before Philip Johnson’s Glass House.

In an extended interview with Betty J. Blum (available for download at the Art Insitute of Chicago archives), William Keck comments about the House of Tomorrow, “Oh, it was a very special house.” It was not without its obstacles, however, and was met with some skepticism at the time.

William Keck elaborates, “Well, at that time, of course, there was the difficulty of trying to get a loan on any kind of a design that was modern. It was almost impossible to get a loan from any kind of a bank or a loan company—to the point where Fred was discouraged about it, as far as trying to get something built. So, what he wanted to do was to go as far out into left field as he possibly could with a design and then bring them back to earth enough to show what could be done and to help sell the idea to the banks and to the people who saw it. We got plenty of publicity out of that.”

a drawing of Keck & Keck's house of tomorrow — The House of Tomorrow, artist rendering exterior view. Credit: Public Domain couresty of the Newberry Library.

He also comments on the “greenhouse effect” of the house, evident before it was even completed. Even in early spring in Indiana, he says, “after the glass had been put in, the men were working in their shirtsleeves and it was damn cold outside. So, there was a lot of sunshine coming in and they were able to work in their shirtsleeves with no heat in the house.”

The House of Tomorrow was also one of the first homes to have air conditioning, partly to counteract the greenhouse effect on hot days. The air conditioning turned out to be insufficient on hot days, and the home’s normal tours were closed on peak heat days, but the Kecks took what they learned and applied it to future houses.

the interior of a circular room with open bean ceilings revelaing the concentric design of the roof. mid century modern-era furniture fill the space. — This file comes from the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) or Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS).

Fun fact: In 2017, the House of Tomorrow served as the birthplace of the Chicago Modernist Collective.

Characteristics of a Keck & Keck Home

Typically oriented to the south for optimal sunlight. Even if the home is oriented in a different direction, the placement of windows is an integral part of the design.
Simplicity in design with, as William Keck says, a “plain, clean, simple look about it” with sharp, clean edges and lack of ornamentation such as scalloped edges.
Lower energy consumption. Homeowners of Keck homes reported the central heat shut itself off at 8 or 9 in the morning, and the house stayed warm—and sometimes even required that they open a window! For their solar design homes, this reduced energy costs by about a third.
Use of prefabricated materials. In their willingness to use new materials, the Kecks often used prefabricated elements with the idea that this makes the design more accessible and ability to be made elsewhere.
Open floor plans. Like the modern homes we’ve come to know and love, Keck homes had an open floor plan, but before the design was well known or expected.

a two-story building peering thorugh a tree-lined sidewalk — Built in 1937, this modern International Style house was designed by notable modernist architect George Fred Keck for Anna Ely Morehead, and her husband, Edward W. Morehead, an official with the Public Service Commission. The house is one of the purest early examples of International Style architecture in Wisconsin, a result of the influence that architects from the Bauhaus, including Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy had on George Fred Keck. Keck was also notable for designing the “House of Tomorrow” at the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition (world’s fair) in Chicago, and several solar houses that used large windows and carefully placed overhangs to allow sunlight to heat structures in winter but only provide indirect natural light in summer. The Morehead house does not embody Keck’s solar design principles, but instead, is a more conventional house design, just in the International Style. The house is defined by its lack of ornamentation, with a boxy massing featuring vertically-oriented bays with contrasting wooden spandrels, and a low-slope roof. The house features one-over-one double-hung windows and was originally to include mechanically operated shutters, though these were never installed. The house features a one-story garage wing to the north, and terraced wings to the rear that take advantage of the sloped site to offer outdoor decks on their roofs, enclosed by simple wooden railings, with the lowest terrace featuring glass cladding underneath, a small example of Keck’s solar house design philosophy, though this feature is far less prominent or notable than on many of his other houses. The house is a contributing structure in the University Heights Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Credit: w_lemay/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Keck & Keck’s Exploration of Solar Design

Keep in mind this was the 30s, long before climate change and energy efficiency were widely held concerns. The Kecks, however, were unabatingly interested in designing homes that could use passive solar energy as a heat source. This was pioneering, especially in a time when energy efficiency was not a common concern.

The Kecks built an entire neighborhood of 26 solar homes, and most of their work—even when not technically deemed a solar home—prioritized the positioning of the house to allow for the best light and optimize natural heating and cooling options often with south-facing windows and radiant heating.

a black and white photo of brothers William keck and Geroge keck — WILLIAM KECK (1908-1995) + GEORGE FRED KECK (1895-1980). Photo via US Modernist.

In the same interview, interviewer Blum asks William why other architects at the time weren’t interested in solar homes like the Kecks were. The answer is simple: It was difficult. You can’t rely on a pre-existing style because traditional styles do not account for ideal positioning in relation to the sun.

William elaborates, “A lot of people were more interested in punching holes in the walls and letting a little light in and sunshine occasionally or maybe a French door or something like that. Beyond that point, they weren’t interested in it. Their method of doing it [incoporating solar design] … was with Colonial motifs and what have you. So, you can’t do it. You have to come up with a new concept in design. That was the thing we were aiming at in doing it. We came up with some pretty good solutions, many of which won awards, as you know.”

In 1980, the University of Illinois awarded both brothers its inaugural Illinois Medal in Architecture. Over the course of their career, the Keck & Keck firm designed over 300 homes. While their names may not enjoy the same household recognition as their peers, their legacy continues in having formed a major part of Modernism’s development in the Midwest. They remain an inspiring example of creative and efficient approaches to passive solar design.

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