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Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon

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Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon was an American architectural firm active, under several different names, in Washington, D.C. from 1951 to 1997. It was founded in 1951 as Keyes, Smith, Satterlee & Lethbridge before splitting into Keyes & Lethbridge and Satterlee & Smith in 1956. Keyes & Lethbridge became Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon in 1958 and Keyes Condon Florance in 1975. After two more name changes it reverted to Keyes Condon Florance in 1995 and was merged into SmithGroup in 1997.

Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon
Keyes Condon Florance
Practice information
PartnersDavid H. Condon FAIA; Thomas Eichbaum FAIA; Philip Esocoff FAIA; Colden Florance FAIA; Arthur H. Keyes Jr. FAIA; David King FAIA; Francis D. Lethbridge FAIA; Nathaniel Satterlee FAIA; Chloethiel Woodard Smith FAIA
FoundersKeyes, Lethbridge, Satterlee and Smith
Founded1951
Dissolved1997
LocationWashington, D.C.
The former Embassy of the United States in Lima, designed by Keyes & Lethbridge and completed in 1959.
The former Forest Industries Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon and completed in 1961. Now the Benjamin T. Rome Building of Johns Hopkins University.
The Tiber Island Cooperative Homes, designed by Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon and completed in 1965.
The Jackson Graham Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon and completed in 1974.
The pavilion at Anacostia Park, designed by Keyes Condon Florance and completed in 1977.
The Anacostia Community Museum, designed by Keyes Condon Florance and completed in 1987.
The 1100 New York Avenue office building in Washington, D.C., designed by Keyes Condon Florance and completed in 1991.
The Thurman Arnold Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Florance Eichbaum Esocoff King and completed in 1995.
The Columbus School of Law of the Catholic University of America, designed by Florance Eichbaum Esocoff King and completed in 1995.

History

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Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon was established in 1951 as Keyes, Smith, Satterlee & Lethbridge, the partnership of Arthur H. Keyes Jr., Chloethiel Woodard Smith, Nathaniel Satterlee and Francis D. Lethbridge. All four had met working in the office of Berla & Abel, which was known as an incubator for young design talent. They were modernists and their work adhered to the architectural principles of the modern movement. In 1956 the firm was divided into two new firms, Keyes & Lethbridge and Satterlee & Smith. Smith's firm, which became Chloethiel Woodard Smith & Associates in 1963, was the largest woman-owned architectural practice in the country.[1]

In 1958 Keyes & Lethbridge were joined by a third partner, David H. Condon, and the firm was renamed Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon. In the 1960s the firm developed into the strongest design firm in the district, and was well known for large residential and institutional projects. In their designs, the partners adhered to the architectural principles of the modern movement. During this time they completed several award-winning projects, including the Tiber Island Cooperative Homes and the River Road Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, both completed in 1965.[2] The firm declined in size in the 1970s, but in 1973 they were joined in partnership by Colden Florance, a former employee.[3]

Florance brought into the firm a focus on new project types, especially commercial projects.[2] Lethbridge withdrew from the partnership in 1975 and the firm was renamed Keyes Condon Florance. The increase in new projects led to significant growth, and in 1985 four new partners, Thomas Eichbaum, Philip Esocoff and David King, were added. Florance, Eichbaum, Esocoff and King adopted a more pluralistic approach to design than the founders, and embraced postmodernism and other contemporary trends. During these years the firm completed many office buildings as well as the conversion of historic buildings into the National Building Museum (1985), the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1987) and the National Postal Museum (1993). In 1991, as Keyes and Condon moved towards retirement, the name of the firm was extended to Keyes Condon/Florance Eichbaum Esocoff King. This was reduced to Florance Eichbaum Esocoff King in 1992.[2]

In 1995 Esocoff withdrew from the partnership, and the firm returned to its former name of Keyes Condon Florance.[4] In October, 1996 Florance and SmithGroup announced plans to merge Keyes Condon Florance into SmithGroup's Washington office, creating the largest architectural office in the city. The merger took effect at the start of 1997. Florance's initial role was as managing director of the office.[5] He retired in 2011.

Partner biographies

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Arthur H. Keyes Jr.

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Arthur Hawkins Keyes Jr. FAIA (May 26, 1917 – June 7, 2012) was born in Rutland, Vermont. He was educated at Princeton University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, graduating from the latter with a BArch in 1942. He worked for architects Berla & Abel and Burket, Neufeld & DeMars until 1949, when he opened his own office. During World War II he served in the naval reserve.[6]

Keyes was married in 1941 to Lucille Sheppard and had three children.[6] He died in Washington at the age of 95.[7]

Francis D. Lethbridge

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Francis Donald Lethbridge FAIA (October 5, 1920 – April 17, 2008) was born in Hackensack, New Jersey. He was educated at the Stevens Institute of Technology and Yale University, graduating from the latter in 1946. During World War II he served in the naval reserve. He worked for architects Berla & Abel and Faulkner, Kingsbury & Stenhouse before establishing the firm of Satterlee & Lethbridge with Nathaniel Satterlee in 1950. The work of Satterlee & Lethbridge included Holmes Run Acres (1952).[8][9]

In 1965 he was also coauthor of the first edition of the AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. Upon leaving Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon in 1975 he established an independent practice, Francis D. Lethbridge & Associates, which had a focus on preservation. He retired in 1990.[8][9]

Lethbridge was married to Mary Jane Christopher in 1947 and had four children.[8] He died in Nantucket, Massachusetts at the age of 87.[9]

David H. Condon

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David Holt Condon FAIA (March 15, 1916 – July 14, 1996) was born in Pasadena, California and was educated at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with an AB in architecture in 1939. He served in the naval reserve during World War II, after which he moved to Washington, where he joined the office of Charles M. Goodman, Keyes, Smith, Satterlee & Lethbridge and Ronald S. Senseman before rejoining Keyes & Lethbridge in 1956.[10]

Condon was married to Sylvia Marquez in 1947 and had two children.[10] He died at home in Chevy Chase, Maryland at the age of 80.[11]

Colden Florance

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Colden l'Hommedieu Ruggles "Coke" Florance FAIA (January 24, 1931 – December 28, 2023) was born in Baltimore. He was educated at Princeton University, earning an AB in 1952 and an MFA in 1955. He served in the navy until 1959, when he joined Satterlee & Smith before moving to Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon in 1961.[12] He left in 1968 to form the partnership of Florance & Cohalan, and later managed a solo practice before returning to Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon.[13][14]

Florance was married three times: to Barbara Dale Crosby, Elizabeth Owens and Nancy Griscom. He had three children.[14] He died in Washington at the age of 92.[15]

Legacy

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Like Berla & Abel before them, Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon and its successors were noted as an incubator for young architects. Their most notable alumni were George E. Hartman Jr. and Warren J. Cox, who founded Hartman-Cox Architects in 1965 after leaving the firm, and Hugh Newell Jacobsen, who worked for the firm in 1957–58. Other employees who established successful local and regional practices include Heather Cass of Cass & Associates, Winthrop W. Faulkner, William C. Gridley of Bowie Gridley Architects and Jack McCartney and Anne McCutcheon Lewis of McCartney Lewis Architects.[2]

The partners were recognized by the architectural community for their excellence in design. All of the name partners were elected Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the AIA's highest membership honor.[16]

Architectural works

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Keyes, Smith, Satterlee & Lethbridge, 1951–1956

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Keyes & Lethbridge, 1956–1958

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Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon, 1958–1975

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Keyes Condon Florance, 1975–1991 and 1995–1996

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Florance Eichbaum Esocoff King, 1992–1995

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Notes

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  1. ^ Demolished.
  2. ^ Designed principally by Smith.
  3. ^ Designed by Keyes & Lethbridge, architects, with Pietro Belluschi, associated architect. Designed principally by Belluschi.
  4. ^ Now the Benjamin T. Rome Building of Johns Hopkins University.
  5. ^ Designed by Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon, architects, with DeMars & Reay, associate architects.
  6. ^ Designed by Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon, architects, with Pederson, Hueber, Hares & Glavin, associate architects.
  7. ^ Altered.
  8. ^ Designed by Keyes Condon Florance, architects, with Giorgio Cavaglieri, associated architect.
  9. ^ Designed by Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut & Kuhn and Keyes Condon Florance, associated architects.

References

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  1. ^ Robinson & Associates, DC MODERN: A Context for Modernism in the District of Columbia, 1945-1976, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Lynn Nesmith, "Urban Individualists" in Architecture (April, 1991): 66-67.
  3. ^ "Class Notes" in Princeton Alumni Weekly (May 1, 1973): 32.
  4. ^ "Firm Changes" in Architecture (January, 1996): 35.
  5. ^ "Smith Group, Perkins & Will Acquire Firms" in Architecture (December, 1996): 34.
  6. ^ a b "Keyes, Arthur H., Jr." in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 297.
  7. ^ "Arthur Keyes, architect," The Washington Post, June 27, 2012. Accessed July 26, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "Lethbridge, Francis Donald" in Who's Who in America, 47th ed. (New Providence: Marquis Who's Who, 1992): 2031.
  9. ^ a b c Stephani Miller, "Remembering D.C. Modernist and Preservationist Donald Lethbridge," Architect Magazine, May 21, 2008. Accessed July 22, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Condon, David Holt" in Who's Who in America, 37th ed. (Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1972): 630.
  11. ^ Claudi Levy, "Award-winning architect David H. Condon dies at 80," The Washington Post, July 22, 1996. Accessed July 26, 2024.
  12. ^ "Florance, C(olden) R(uggles)" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 218.
  13. ^ "Florance, Colden l'Hommedieu Ruggles" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 284.
  14. ^ a b "Florance, Colden l'Hommedieu Ruggles" in Who's Who in America, 43rd ed. (Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1984): 1061.
  15. ^ "Florance, Colden L'Hommedieu Ruggles Florance (Coke)" in The Washington Post, January 2, 2024.
  16. ^ The American Institute of Architects College of Fellows History & Directory (Washington: American Institute of Architects, 2019)
  17. ^ "Lesson for builders/architects" in House+Home (November, 1952): 140-147.
  18. ^ "Seven health buildings" in Architectural Forum (September, 1955): 132-135.
  19. ^ "Two-story houses" in Architectural Record (March, 1956): 176-179.
  20. ^ a b Jane C. Loeffler, The Architecture of Diplomacy: Building America's Embassies (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1998)
  21. ^ "Four houses of worship" in Progressive Architecture (June, 1959): 118-121.
  22. ^ "Every house is a prize winner" in House+Home (April, 1959): 158-163.
  23. ^ AIA Journal (January, 1960): 56-57.
  24. ^ G. Martin Moeller Jr., AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012): 212-213.
  25. ^ "Warmth and Comfort are Modern" in Architectural Record (Mid-May, 1961): 104-107.
  26. ^ Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee, Buildings of the District of Columbia (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993): 212-213.
  27. ^ a b Architectural Record (September, 1963): 198-199.
  28. ^ "Unforced simplicity for a unitarian church" in Architectural Record (January, 1967): 129-132.
  29. ^ Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee, Buildings of the District of Columbia (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993): 242-243.
  30. ^ "1967 marketing report" in House+Home (May, 1967): 88-91.
  31. ^ "Townhouses for special markets" in House+Home (April, 1970): 86-87.
  32. ^ G. Martin Moeller Jr., AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012): 203.
  33. ^ G. Martin Moeller Jr., AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012): 94-95.
  34. ^ Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee, Buildings of the District of Columbia (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993): 276.
  35. ^ Progressive Architecture (July, 1980): 64-65.
  36. ^ Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee, Buildings of the District of Columbia (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993): 108-110.
  37. ^ "An Entire Block Reformulated" in Architecture (November, 1984): 64-65.
  38. ^ "First Phase of Pension Building Renovation for Museum Finished" in Architecture (February, 1985): 26-27.
  39. ^ Paul M. Connolly, "In the national interest: A new building museum opens in Washington, D. C." in Architectural Record (January, 1986): 75-77.
  40. ^ Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee, Buildings of the District of Columbia (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993): 228.
  41. ^ G. Martin Moeller Jr., AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012): 126.
  42. ^ Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee, Buildings of the District of Columbia (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993): 226-227.
  43. ^ Lynn Nesmith, "Corner Office" in Architecture (April, 1991): 74-75.
  44. ^ G. Martin Moeller Jr., AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012): 171.
  45. ^ G. Martin Moeller Jr., AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012): 127.
  46. ^ Richard Guy Wilson et al., "King Street Station Complex", Alexandria, Virginia, SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-01-AL48. Last accessed: July 22, 2024.
  47. ^ Cole Woodcox, "Union Station", Kansas City, Missouri, SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MO-01-095-0003. Last accessed: July 22, 2024.
  48. ^ "Campus Generator" in Architecture (March, 1993): 50-57.
  49. ^ "Postal Modern" in Architecture (November, 1993): 88-95.
  50. ^ G. Martin Moeller Jr., AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012): 142.
  51. ^ G. Martin Moeller Jr., AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012): 289.
  52. ^ G. Martin Moeller Jr., AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012): 119-120.
  53. ^ Richard Guy Wilson et al., "Time-Life Building", Alexandria, Virginia, SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-01-AL46. Last accessed: July 22, 2024.
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