Keith and Kurke, Architects

A prominent early-20th century Fargo, North Dakota, architectural firm -- or cooperation of two firms -- whose designs helped turn the small frontier towns into respectably modern cities. The main partners were Frederick W. Keith and William F Kurke. As Keith was far less prominent and fewer records refer to him than Kurke, most of the buildings from this time period are credited to Kurke himself, and his firm is often refered to as Kurke and Associates. Until further research is done, it's possible that Keith and Kurke were separate firms that shared resources on certain projects, such as the Liberty Memorial building in Bismarck and the AOUW Grand Lodge in Fargo.

Buildings by Keith and Kurke

• Graver Hotel, Fargo, ND, 1917.
• Morrill Hall, North Dakota State University Campus, 1922.
• The Liberty Memorial Building, on the North Dakota state Capitol grounds, 1924.
• Leach Public Library, Wahpeton, ND, 1924.
• The AOUW Grand Lodge of the Dakotas, now part of the Pioneer Mutual Building, in Fargo, ND, 1925.
• First National Bank, Fargo, ND, 1926.
• Union Storage and Transfer, Fargo, ND, 1929.

More buildings can be found on the NDSU Institute for Regional Studies exhibit of William Kurke's work.. The Institute also houses a collection of Kurke's papers, including numerous blueprints of his firm's other designs.