Cooper, Thomas Wright (1897-1957)
Birthplace:
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Residences:
- Raleigh, North Carolina
Trades:
- Architect
NC Work Locations:
Building Types:
Styles & Forms:
Beaux-Arts; Colonial Revival; Period Revival
Thomas Wright Cooper (1897-1957), a Raleigh architect who practiced with several different associates, designed in a wide range of architectural styles from the 1920s onward, including works in Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, and Modern modes.
Cooper was born in Raleigh, a son of stonecutter Charles W. Cooper, head of the Raleigh Marble Works. He was educated at local schools before beginning his architectural training in 1914 under architect James A. Salter. Cooper left Raleigh in 1917 to work as a senior draftsman during World War I at the Newport News Ship Building Company in Virginia. After the war he returned to Raleigh and became the chief draftsman in the firm of Salter and Nelson.
In 1921, after Salter left the firm, Cooper formed a partnership with G. Murray Nelson to form G. Murray Nelson and Thomas W. Cooper (Nelson and Cooper). The firm designed several institutional buildings including Ricks Hall (ca. 1922) and the expansion of Leazar Hall (ca. 1922) at present North Carolina State University. Probably their best known work is the State Agriculture Building facing Capitol Square (1922-1923), a large stone-faced edifice of Beaux-Arts classical design subtly rendered to wrap around a key corner.
Cooper and Nelson also became recognized as residential design specialists producing stylish Colonial Revival houses for middle and upper class clients in Raleigh’s expanding suburbs. With Nelson, and then alone, Cooper planned many of the fine residences in the prestigious Hayes-Barton suburb, the grandest of which is the Alfred Williams, Jr. House, a spectacularly sited replica of Mount Vernon, located at 901 Holt Drive.
About 1930 Cooper began an independent practice that produced a number of Period Revival style residences during and after the Great Depression, including his own residence in the suburb of Budleigh. In the early 1940s he was associated briefly with the firm of William H. Deitrick, was involved in military projects, and served as assistant architect at present North Carolina State University with Ross Shumaker. After World War II, Cooper entered practice with younger architects including Albert L. Haskins, Jr. and Richard L. Rice. He produced both traditional and modernist designs, the latter including Beth Meyer Synagogue on St. Mary’s Street in 1951, one of Raleigh’s first modernist houses of worship. Cooper was active in the American Institute of Architects, serving as president of the North Carolina chapter in 1952. He also participated in civic affairs and the Episcopal Church.
- American Institute of Architects, Membership Records, American Institute of Architects Archives, Washington, D.C.
- Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
- Carolina Architecture (1935).
- Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
- North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Inactive files, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.
- Raleigh News and Observer, July 28, 1935.
- Marguerite E. Schumann, Strolling at State: A Walking Guide to North Carolina State University (1973).
- George Smart, Jr., Triangle Modernist Houses, http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.
- Who’s Who in the South and Southwest (1950).
Baker Wynne House
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:1948
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1411 Jackson Pl., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Elizabeth C. Waugh, North Carolina’s Capital, Raleigh (1967).
Beth Meyer Synagogue
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:1951
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:St. Mary’s St., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Religious
Confederate Memorial Pavilion
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:1935
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:Oakwood Cemetery, 701 Oakwood Ave., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Memorial
Cox-Williams House
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; James A. Davidson, builderVariant Name(s):“Mount Vernon”
Dates:1922-1923
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:901 Holt Dr.
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Note:Displaying a type popular in the early to mid-twentieth century, this replica of George Washington’s home in Virginia is roughly two-thirds the size of the original. It stands on a large, formally treated lot that extends through the block and thus presents two different facades to two parallel streets—a small entrance facing Harvey Street and a classic “Mount Vernon” portico overlooking Holt Drive and a small linear park suitably called “Potomac Park.” The grandeur of the house captured newspaper writers’ attention and set a tone for Hayes Barton as well as establishing James A. Davidson as a premier builder.
The reference to heroic historical antecedents well suited a wealthy family with long roots in North Carolina. The house was built for Albert Lyman Cox, son of famed Confederate officer William R. Cox and himself a World War I hero, attorney, politician, and entrepreneur, and his wife, the former Arabel Nash of an extended Tarboro family that included Episcopal bishop Joseph Blount Cheshire. Arabel was also the sister-in-law of leading Wilmingtonian James Lawrence Sprunt, husband of her sister, Annie Gray Nash. Albert and Arabel Cox, who married in 1909, had resided on Raleigh’s North Blount Street and on Hillsborough Street before moving to Hayes Barton.
The construction date is defined by articles in the News and Observer. The issue of August 3, 1922 reported on recent building permits, including one for the $45,000 residence of Albert Cox, which far exceeded all others listed, none of which was for more than $10,000. The house was completed within a year: the News and Observer of July 1, 1923, reported that Mrs. Albert Cox had recently entertained in “her home in Haynes-Barton [sic].” The United States Census of 1930 listed Albert and Arabel and their five children at the residence, with the value of Cox’s real estate noted as $60,000. In the early 1930s, Cox lost the property, which had been mortgaged. (Similar fates befell a number of the owners of the fine houses in Hayes Barton.) The family moved to Washington, D. C., and Albert Cox served as commander of the National Guard. “Mount Vernon” was acquired by Alfred Williams, of Alfred Williams and Company, a third-generation book and stationer’s store that later became a large office outfitter. The house is generally associated with Williams and his family.
Note: Davidson and Jones Archives, private collection; News and Observer, various issues.
David F. Cannon House
Contributors:Coffey Family, contractors; John N. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey and Son, contractors; Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; Nelson and Cooper, architectDates:1938
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:2613 White Oak Rd., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Howard White House
Contributors:James A. Davidson, builder; Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:1926
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1525 Carr St.
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Note:Davidson and Jones Archives; Hayes Barton Historic District National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 2002.
J. Deryl Hart House
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; George W. Kane, builder; Nelson and Cooper, architects; G. Murray Nelson, architectDates:1934
Location:Durham, Durham CountyStreet Address:2324 Duke University Rd., Durham, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Note:Dr. Hart came to Duke as head of surgery and later became president of Duke University. In recent years the large Tudor Revival residence has been the home of Duke President Richard Brodhead. The architect for the house has been identified both as Nelson and Cooper and Nelson alone. Records of its construction are in Dr. Hart’s papers at Duke University.
J.E. Hillman House
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:1938
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:2317 Whitaker Dr., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
James R. Weatherspoon House
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:1931
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1103 Cowper Dr., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
John H. Johnson House
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:Ca. 1933-1934
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:2915 White Oak Dr., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
John N. Coffey, Sr. House
Contributors:Coffey Family, contractors; John N. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey and Son, contractors; Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:1939 and later
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1720 Canterbury Rd., Raleigh, NC
Status:No longer standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Jonathan Daniels House
Contributors:Coffey Family, contractors; John N. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey and Son, contractors; Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:ca. 1936
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1540 Caswell St., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Note:The Georgian Revival style brick house is a member of the group of nearby Daniels family houses.
Julian Rand House
Contributors:Coffey Family, contractors; John N. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey and Son, contractors; Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; G. Murray Nelson, architect; Howard E. Satterfield, builderDates:Ca. 1931
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1544 Carr St., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Note:The architects and builder of this classic 2-story, red brick Georgian Revival house are cited in the Hayes Barton National Register nomination. A Julian Rand project is cited in the Satterfield building list. Julian and Lillian Rand, longtime residents of Ferndell Lane (near Maiden Lane and State College) first appeared at 1544 Carr Street house in the 1932 city directory.
Leazar Hall
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architect (ca. 1922); Harry P. S. Keller, architect (1912); Nelson and Cooper, architects (ca. 1922); G. Murray Nelson, architect (ca. 1922); Northup and O'Brien, architects (1947); Ross Edward Shumaker, architect (1945)Dates:1912; ca. 1922 [additions]; 1945 [additions]; 1947 [additions]
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:North Carolina State University Campus, Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Educational
Images Published In:Burton F. Beers and Murray Scott Downs, North Carolina State University: A Pictorial History (1986).
Facility Coordinators, http://www.ncsu.edu/facilities/buildings/.
Marguerite E. Schumann, Strolling at State: A Walking Guide to North Carolina State University (1973).Note:Ross Edward Shumaker designed the building’s east balconies.
Mrs. W. A. Cooper House
Contributors:Coffey Family, contractors; John N. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey and Son, contractors; Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:1930s
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:123 Forest Rd., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Nathaniel A. Dunn House
Contributors:Coffey Family, contractors; John N. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey and Son, contractors; Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; Nelson and Cooper, architectsVariant Name(s):N. A. Dunn House
Dates:1929-1930
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1105 Cowper Dr., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Note:Nelson and Cooper’s blueprints, dated 1929, for the Nathaniel A. Dunn House are in the Coffey Family Papers, Special Collections Research Center, NCSU Libraries. It is a characteristic example of the Georgian Revival style residences prevalent in Hayes Barton. The blueprints are the only set by Nelson and Cooper identified thus far.
Ned Ball House
Contributors:John W. Coffey, contractor; Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:Ca. 1933-1935
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:White Oak Rd., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church
Contributors:James A. Davidson, builder; G. Murray Nelson, architect; Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; Nelson and Cooper, architectsDates:1923
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1801 Hillsborough St.
Status:Standing
Type:Religious
Note:Pullen Memorial Baptist Church is a fully developed example of Romanesque Revival church architecture, rare in the state and notable for its strong massing and intricate brickwork. The congregation had met in a mission church at the south end of Fayetteville Street in central Raleigh for several years, but after that church burned, the congregation moved to this location near present North Carolina State University in west Raleigh. Aimed at the students at the college as well as other citizens, the $65,000 structure was built with more than 40 Sunday school rooms. Source: Davidson and Jones Archives; News & Observer, Jan. 1, 1922. This issue of the News and Observer carried a lengthy story about the proposed church and its architects (though not the builder) and featured a large drawing of it.
R.H. Longstreet House
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:Ca. 1938
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:Victoria Rd., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Ricks Hall
Contributors:Dates:Ca. 1922
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:North Carolina State University Campus, Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Educational
Images Published In:Marguerite E. Schumann, Strolling at State: A Walking Guide to North Carolina State University (1973).
Rufus H. Nims House
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; Rufus H. Nims, architect; Thomas Cooper, architectsDates:1938
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1506 Canterbury Rd., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Note:The 1-story, ranch type house was one of the first modernist houses in Raleigh. It was designed by the young architect Rufus H. Nims (1913-2005) as his own residence, when Nims, a 1934 graduate of present North Carolina State University, was working for Cooper. Nims moved to Florida in 1943, developed a highly respected practice, and stayed there for the rest of his long life. Source: trianglemodernisthouses.com.
State Agriculture Building
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; Nelson and Cooper, architects; G. Murray Nelson, architect; James A. Salter, preliminary architect; John E. Beaman, contractorDates:1922-1923
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:2 W. Edenton St., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Public
Syme Hall
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architect (1922); Nelson and Cooper, architect (1922); Hobart Upjohn, architect (1916)Variant Name(s):South Hall
Dates:1916; 1922 [additions]
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:North Carolina State University Campus, Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Educational
Note:Further research is required to ascertain the authorship of this substantial dormitory. It has been credited to Nelson and Cooper with the original section described as built in 1916 plus additions in 1922, which have been cited to Hobart Upjohn. It is unlikely that Nelson or Nelson and Cooper were involved in the 1916 portion, since their partnership was not formed until 1920 or 1921, and there is no record of Nelson’s presence in Raleigh as early as 1916.
T. W. Cooper House
Contributors:Coffey Family, contractors; John N. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey, contractor; John W. Coffey and Son, contractors; Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:late 1930s
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1718 Canterbury Rd., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Thomas Ruffin House
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; Nelson and Cooper, architects; G. Murray Nelson, architect; James A. Davidson, builderDates:Mid-1920s
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1001 Harvey St.
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Note:Source: Davidson and Jones Archives, private collection
Thomas Wright Cooper House
Contributors:John W. Coffey, contractor; Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:1938
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1718 Canterbury Rd., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Elizabeth C. Waugh, North Carolina’s Capital, Raleigh (1967).
Victor Sorrell House
Contributors:John W. Coffey, contractor; Thomas Wright Cooper, architectDates:Ca. 1933-1934
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1535 Caswell St., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Walter L. and Violet Noneman House
Contributors:Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; James A. Davidson, contractorDates:1938
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:2106 White Oak Rd., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Note:Blueprints, specifications, and contractor bills for the “Mr. and Mrs. Walter Noneman Residence” are in the Thomas W. Cooper Collection, Special Collections Research Center, NCSU Libraries. The architect’s specifications noted that the “masonry work shall be done by a skilled mechanic capable of mixing the stone and brick as shown” in the drawings. Contractor James A. Davidson was a leading Raleigh builder for many years. Bills for work and materials for the brick and stone house include numerous local and regional firms such as Baker-Rawls Roofing, Carolina Builders, Cherokee Brick, Dillon Supply, Martin Millwork, and Peden Steel. W. L. and Violet Louise Noneman came to Raleigh from Albuquerque, N. M., for him to open the Occidental Life Insurance Company. The family worked closely with the architect to plan the residence for comfort and convenience. The well-preserved house has remained in the family.
William Proctor House
Contributors:Coffey Family, contractors; John W. Coffey, contractor; Thomas Wright Cooper, architect; Nelson and Cooper, architects; G. Murray Nelson, architectDates:1932
Location:Raleigh, Wake CountyStreet Address:1521 Jarvis St., Raleigh, NC
Status:Standing
Type:Residential
Images Published In:Houses By Coffey, Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.