Robert Edwin Cook (July 19, 1863 – July 27, 1946) or Robert E. Cook, as he is more commonly known, was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

. Robert E. Cook is most famous for his design of Washington, D.C.'s Spanish Steps. The native Washingtonian was a prominent figure in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, society throughout the early 1900s.

Early life

Robert was born to George R. and Annie Cook on July 19, 1863, in Southeast Washington, D.C. As a youth, he was an active member of the old Fourth Street Methodist Church. Robert married Mary Lizzie Thompson on September 2, 1899, in Newtonville,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. Robert and Mary had one daughter, Julia Thompson Lindquist (née Cook).

Career

Cook spent much of his architectural career with

Hornblower & Marshall Hornblower & Marshall was a Washington, D.C.–based architectural firm that was a partnership between Joseph Coerten Hornblower (architect), Joseph Coerten Hornblower (1848–1908) and James Rush Marshall (1851–1927). The firm designed numero ...

, the architect and engineering firm responsible for numerous buildings in Washington, D.C. Cook had a part in designing many of the city's prominent residences and some public buildings. Robert E. Cook designed the Decatur Terrace Steps and Fountain in northwest Washington, D.C., which was completed in 1911. In October 1911, Robert E. Cook was appointed to Assistant Inspector of Buildings by the District Commissioners, upon recommendation of Municipal Architect

Snowden Ashford Snowden Ashford (1866–1927) was an American architect who worked in Washington, D.C., his native city. Born on January 1, 1866, Ashford was educated at Rittenhouse Academy and at the Christian Brothers Roman Catholic school. He studied archit ...

Personal life

Robert E. Cook was an active member of Washington society, especially in his native

Congress Heights Congress Heights is a residential neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C., in the United States. The irregularly shaped neighborhood is bounded by the St. Elizabeths Hospital campus, Lebaum Street SE, 4th Street SE, and Newcomb Street SE on ...

and

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

area of the city. He belonged to Washington's Society of Natives, the Washington Centennial

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

, the Congress Heights Citizens' Association and the Washington Architectural Club. Cook was a member of the

Vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

of his church, the Congress Heights P. E. parish, and was on the board of trustees to his childhood church, the Fourth Street Methodist Church, for a number of years. Robert's wife, Mary Lizzie Cook (née Thompson), was also prominent in the community. Mary was a member of the Twentieth Century Club,

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far ...

, Women's Missionary Society, Interdenominational Society, and was active in the community welfare work of Calvary M. E. Church. Robert and Mary frequently entertained guests and hosted large gatherings at their home in Southeast Washington, D.C.

Later life

Robert became widowed in 1927, when Mary died at age 59. He spent the final years of his life living with his daughter, Julia, and her husband, Clarence Lindquist, in the Kenesaw Apartment building in Northwest Washington, D.C. Robert died at age 83 at their home and was buried in the Westminster Cemetery in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Robert Edwin 19th-century American architects 1863 births 1946 deaths Architects from Washington, D.C.