Cerny Associates, Inc.

The Cerny Associates is traced from about 1868, when Franklin Bidwell Long moved to Minneapolis and began an independent practice. In 1874 he formed a brief partnership with Robert Alden, followed by another with Charles F. Haglin from 1875-76. In 1884, Long entered a partnership with Frederick Kees, which became one of the most successful Minneapolis architectural firms. In 1897, Kees left the partnership and Long was joined by his son, Louis, and by Lowell Lamoreaux. F.B. Long died in 1912, but the partnership was continued by L. L. Long and Lamoreaux. In 1920, Olaf Thorshov joined the firm as a partner, and it became Long & Thorshov. Roy Thorshov, Olaf's son, joined the firm before his father's death in 1928 and later became a full partner. In 1942, when Robert Cerny joined as a partner, the firm became Thorshov & Cerny. On that partnership's dissolution in 1960, Thorshov went into practice with Willard Thorsen and Cerny became head of his own firm, Cerny Associates.

From the description of Cerny Associates papers 1886-1978. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 63291537

The history of Cerny Associates began in the 1870s when Franklin Long established his practice. Long was born in Afton, New York on March 3, 1842. He left there in 1859 and lived and worked as a carpenter and builder in Chicago and Woodstock, IL, and as a draftsman for J.C. Cochrane, architect. In Chicago (1867) he became a partner of Ackerman (first name unknown) for a time, then moved to Minneapolis about 1868 for health reasons. He was in private practice until 1874 when he briefly associated with Robert Alden, one of the area's pioneer architects. Long then joined Charles F. Haglin in partnership in 1875. After the firm dissolved in 1876, Haglin went on to become one of the city's leading contractors.

Long worked for the Milwaukee Railroad from 1877 to 1881 and returned to private architectural practice in 1881 to 1884. He was a partner of Frederick Kees from 1884 to 1897, one of the most successful firms in Minneapolis. Together they designed and built many of the largest buildings in the city in the 1880s and 1890s, including the Public Library (1884), Masonic Temple (1888), Lumber Exchange (1888-90), Flour Exchange (1893-97), Kasota Block (1884), and many warehouses, churches, and private residences. After Kees left the partnership in 1897, Long joined his son Louis and Lowell Lamoreaux in a practice that lasted until Long's death on August 21, 1912, in Minneapolis.

Frederick Kees was born in Baltimore, MD, on April 9, 1852. He worked for architect E.C. Lind in that city from 1865-1871 and again from 1872 to 1878, with a brief hiatus in Chicago in 1871-1872. Kees moved to Minneapolis in 1878 and entered the office of Leroy Buffington. He became a partner of B.W. Fisk from 1882 to 1884 and then joined Franklin Long in partnership. After the firm dissolved in 1897, Kees practiced on his own until 1899 when he formed a partnership with Serenus Colburn. Colburn died in 1925 and for almost two years afterward Kees was a partner of H.G. Bowstead. Kees died in Minneapolis on March 16, 1927.

Louis L. Long, son of Franklin Long, was born in Minneapolis about 1870. He was educated in the Minneapolis public schools and received a degree by examination at the University of Minnesota in 1894. He entered his father's firm around 1895 and became a partner in 1898. He practiced until his death on May 20, 1925, on a train near El Centro, California while returning from a vacation trip.

Louis A. Lamoreaux was born in Lansing, MN, on December 23, 1861. His family moved to Minneapolis in 1868, where he graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1887. He then worked for Cass Gilbert in St. Paul until becoming a partner of James McLeod in Minneapolis from 1897 to 1899. He joined Long & Long and became a full partner about 1900. Lamoreaux died of pneumonia in Minneapolis following surgery on February 1, 1922.

In 1920 Olaf Thorshov, a native of Norway who had migrated to the U.S. around 1901, became a partner in the firm of Long, Lamoreaux & Long which was subsequently renamed Long & Thorshov following the deaths of Lowell Lamoreaux and Louis Long. Little is known of Thorshov's life or education. He died in Minneapolis in 1928.

Olaf s son, Roy Norman Thorshov, was born in Minneapolis in 1905. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1928 with a bachelor's degree in architecture and joined his father's partnership just before the latter's death. Thorshov then became a full partner in Long & Thorshov and in 1942 was joined by Robert Cerny. The firm then was renamed Thorshov & Cerny. When that partnership dissolved in 1960, Thorshov went into practice with Willard Thorsen, and Cerny became head of his own firm, Cerny Associates. Thorshov died in Minneapolis on March 13, 1992.

Robert Cerny was born in LaCrosse, WI, on June 11, 1908. He was awarded a B.A. in architecture from the University of Minnesota in 1932 and earned a M.A. in architecture from Harvard University the following year. Cerny was employed as Associate Architect for the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933-34 and again in 1935-36. He was a partner in Jones & Cerny in Minneapolis from 1937 to 1942, when he joined Roy Thorshov in practice (1942-1960). Cerny also taught at the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota from about 1936 to his retirement in 1976. He retired from active practice about a year later and died in Minneapolis on January 31, 1985.

From the guide to the Cerny Associates papers, 1886-1978, (University of Minnesota Libraries. Northwest Architectural Archives, Manuscripts Division [naa])