Keene & Simpson

Keene & Simpson

Company type	Private
Industry	Architecture
Founded	1909
Founder	Arthur Samuel Keene, Leslie Butler Simpson
Defunct	1980
Fate	Dissolved
Headquarters	Kansas City, Missouri , United States
Key people	Arthur Samuel Keene, Leslie Butler Simpson, John Thomas Murphy

Keene & Simpson was a prominent American architectural firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, operating from 1909 until 1980. The company was founded by architects Arthur Samuel Keene FAIA (1875–1966) and Leslie Butler Simpson AIA (1885–1961). In 1955, the firm expanded its partnership to include John Thomas Murphy FAIA (1913–1999), who steered the company under the name Keene & Simpson & Murphy until his retirement in 1980.

Biography and history

Arthur Samuel Keene, born in 1875 in Brighton, Boston, was inspired by his architect uncle George Franklin Fuller. He completed his architectural education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1898. Early in his career, Keene worked with Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge and Guy Lowell before moving to Kansas City in 1907 to join Howe & Hoit, where he encountered Leslie Butler Simpson. Simpson, born in 1885 in Clayton, Missouri, pursued architectural studies through correspondence courses and gained experience with Van Brunt & Howe prior to his tenure at Howe & Hoit. In 1909, Keene and Simpson formed their own firm, Keene & Simpson.

The practice quickly established a significant presence throughout Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. In 1955, John T. Murphy, an MIT alumnus who had been part of the firm since 1945, became a partner, leading to the firm's rebranding as Keene & Simpson & Murphy. After Simpson passed away in 1961 and Keene retired in 1962, Murphy took charge of the firm until it ceased operations in 1980.

Among their notable collaborations were projects such as the Philtower Building in Tulsa (in partnership with Edward Buehler Delk) and the Jackson County Courthouse (working alongside Frederick C. Gunn, Wight & Wight, and Edward F. Neild). The firm also provided consulting services for Tulsa’s Boston Avenue Methodist Church designed by Bruce Goff and Adah Robinson.

All three partners maintained active memberships within the American Institute of Architects: Keene joined in 1916 and was elevated to Fellow status in 1938; Simpson became a member in 1921; Murphy joined in 1945 and achieved Fellowship in 1964.

Legacy

Over a dozen buildings attributed to Keene & Simpson are recognized on the United States National Register of Historic Places, with additional works contributing to various historic districts.

Architectural works

• Wichita Club (former), 200 E 1st St, Wichita, Kansas (1909–11), a key structure within the Farmer's and Banker's Historic District, listed on the NRHP in 2007
• Lyndon Carnegie Library, 127 E 6th St, Lyndon, Kansas (1911), NRHP-listed since 1987
• Levi McIntire residence, 710 E Armour Blvd, Kansas City, Missouri (1911), added to NRHP in 1983
• Major Hotel, 112 E Franklin St, Liberty, Missouri (1912), NRHP-listed from 1992
• Residence of Emory J. Sweeney, 5921 Ward Pkwy, Kansas City, Missouri (1919)
• Thos. Corrigan Building, 1828 Walnut St, Kansas City, Missouri (1920–21), NRHP-listed since 1982
• Gate City National Bank Building, 1111 Grand Ave, Kansas City, Missouri (1920), on NRHP since 1982
• Kelley-Reppert Motor Company Building, 422 Admiral Blvd, Kansas City, Missouri (1920)
• Land Bank Building, located at 15 W 10th St, Kansas City, Missouri (1923–24), recognized on NRHP since 1985
• Addition to the Argyle Building, 306 E 12th St, Kansas City, Missouri (1924–25); this project added six stories atop Louis S. Curtiss’s original design; listed on NRHP in 2005
• Phillips Petroleum Company Building at 310 S Keeler Ave, Bartlesville, Oklahoma (1927 and 1930); while the initial office portion was demolished in 1983, its tower remains part of today’s ConocoPhillips complex
• The Philtower Building, situated at 427 S Boston Ave, Tulsa, Oklahoma (1927–28); co-designed with Edward Buehler Delk; included within the Oil Capital Historic District listed on NRHP in 2010
• Armour Theatre Building, located at 408 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, Missouri (1928), added to NRHP in 2008
• The Kansas City Scottish Rite Temple, at 1330 E Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, Missouri (1928–30)
• The Home for Convalescent Employed Women at Linwood Presbyterian Church complex, located at 3212 Michigan Ave, Kansas City, Missouri (1931), listed on NRHP since 2012
• The Jackson County Courthouse in Independence at 112 W Lexington Ave (Independence, Missouri) (1932–33); constructed under the supervision of then-Presiding Judge Harry S. Truman; architect David Frederick Wallace—Truman’s brother-in-law—was employed by Keene & Simpson
• Jackson County Courthouse located at 415 E 12th St (Kansas City, Missouri) (1933–34); designed by Frederick C. Gunn with collaboration from Keene & Simpson and Wight & Wight; consulting architect was Edward F. Neild
• The Hall of Waters building at 201 E Broadway, Excelsior Springs, Missouri (1936–37), NRHP-listed since 1983
• Van Horn High School situated in Independence (Independence, Missouri) (1955)
• Office building at 811 Main Street in Kansas City (1959)
• Former Southeast Junior High School facility in Kansas City (1961)
• The Commerce Tower at 911 Main St., Kansas City (1962–65)
• First National Bank Building located in Leavenworth (Leavenworth, Kansas) (1967)
• Executive Plaza—currently Flashcube apartments—at 720 Main St., Kansas City (1972–74); this project was a collaboration with Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum from St. Louis