Education
Cornell University; Cornell University College of, Art, and Planning
She graduated from Bellefonte High School in 1906.
Cornell University; Cornell University College of, Art, and Planning
She graduated from Bellefonte High School in 1906.
She was the first registered female architect in Pennsylvania. Keichline was the youngest of four children, born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania to attorney John Keichline. Her parents gave her a workshop and carpentry tools, which she used to create furniture.
She told a newspaper reporter that she expected to devote her life to industrial design.
She went to Pennsylvania State College to study mechanical engineering but transferred after a year to Cornell University to study architecture. She became noted for working on "timeand motion-saving" design of kitchens and interiors.
She owned seven patents. She had several inventions concerning home use, but her most noted invention was the "K Brick" in 1927.
This type of hollow clay brick was less heavy and expensive than previous iterations and was an early form of the concrete block used in construction decades later.
This led to her receiving honors from the American Ceramic Society in 1931. Her first patent combined a sink and a washtub. She wanted to save space in kitchens and make them more comfortable to use.
In 1924 she received a patent on one of her kitchen designs.
The design was focused on "comfort and convenience, efficiency, and conservation of space." This kitchen featured sloped countertops and cabinets with glass doors. In 1929 she received a patent on an apartment bed design.
lieutenant could be flipped into the wall to save space. Keichline"s designs can still be seen in Bellefonte.
She designed the Plaza Theatre, the Cadillac Garage and Apartments, the Harvey Apartments, as well as multiple residences.
Keichline had her own automobile, which was unusual for women at the time. She was also involved in World War I efforts, serving as a "special agent with military intelligence." She got involved with politics, helping with President Hoover"s Better Housing Conference. She also marched in the women"s suffrage movement.