Ernest Kennedy was born in Mankato, Minnesota, in 1865 and moved to Minneapolis at age 10. He attended the University of Minnesota in 1888 but did not graduate. He later attended the Sorbonne in Paris and the Berlin and Munich Polytechnics. Kennedy returned to Minneapolis and set up his own practice by 1897, specializing in the design of mansions and residences in Minneapolis and the vicinity of Lake Minnetonka. Among his residential clients were Alfred Pillsbury, E.C. Gale, Gilbert and Archie Walker, Francis Janney, Rufus Rand, J.B. Gilfillan, and F.M. Crosby. He was also responsible for the design of Shevlin Hall at the University of Minnesota (1905) and numerous commercial structures in the area, including the Essex Building (1911) in downtown Minneapolis in which Kennedy had his office for many years. His 40-year practice was succeeded by Hiram H. Livingston, following Kennedy's death on January 11, 1938.