Henry Ives Cobb (1859-1931), Architect
Henry Ives Cobb was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1859.[4] Cobb studied at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the equally prestigious Harvard University.[4] He worked with Peabody & Sterns, Architects, in Boston, Massachusetts for a short time before moving to Chicago, where he started his own practice and became nationally recognized.[4] The Newberry Library, the Chicago Opera House, and the University of Chicago are among his notable Chicago commissions.[4] Cobb died in New York on March 27, 1931.[4]
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the format and contents page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
Professional Association (with Nebraska connection)
1896-1903: F. W. Fitzpatrick, first assistant (through Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury) on Chicago Federal Building/U. S. Post Office, designed by Cobb.[a]
Buildings & Projects
Charles Offutt – Casper Yost house (1894-1895), 140 N 39th, Omaha, Nebraska.[1][2][3] (D009:0321-003)
Edward A. Cudahy house (1898-1899), South 37th & Dewey Streets, Omaha, Nebraska.[6][c]
Notes
a. One of the major projects of Cobb's busy professional practice in Chicago during the late 1890s and early 20th century was the Chicago Federal Building. His chief assistant, an employee of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury, was F. W. Fitzpatrick, a Canadian-born architect. Fitzpatrick later had significant Nebraska connections. He produced striking presentation renderings of projects for several Omaha and Lincoln architects, and also was lead designer and member of the board of directors of Omaha-based Bankers Realty Investment Company.
b. Some sources also attribute the Guy C. Barton house of 1899 to Cobb as well. More definitive sources, however, show that house was actually built for John Withnell, and was designed by Fisher & Lawrie, Architects.[5]
c. The Omaha World-Herald published a photo of Cudahy's house on July 23, 1899, crediting the design to Fisher & Lawrie, Architects. A week later the same newspaper published a gracious correction/letter to the editor from those Omaha architects, addressed to Editor World-Herald: "Among the illustrations of recent Omaha residences designed by us, and published in your unexcelled issue of Sunday, you included that of Mr. E. A. Cudahy, his house was designed by Mr. Henry Ives Cobb of Chicago and in justice to that talented architect we desire that you give this communication the same publicity which you so generously accorded us. Yours truly, FISHER & LAWRIE."
References
1. From microfilm list of bldg permits.
2. Landmarks, Inc., An Inventory of Historic Omaha Buildings (Omaha: City of Omaha, and Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission, 1980), 35.
3. City of Omaha Planning Department, Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission, Database, Query on Architects, May 20, 2002; courtesy of Lynn Meyer, Preservation Planner.
4. “Brief Biographies of American Architects Who Died Between 1897 and 1947,” Transcribed from the American Art Annual by Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. Society of Architectural Historians website, accessed September 14, 2011, http://www.sah.org/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=BiographiesArchitects&category=Resources
5. See Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey file DO09:0210-001.
6. "A Correction...Mr. E. A. Cudahy, his house was designed by Mr. Henry Ives Cobb...," Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald (July 30, 1899), 8.
7. "Residence of E. A. Cudahy, Thirty-Seventh Street, Completed this Summer. (Fisher & Lawrie, Architects)," Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald (July 23, 1899), 27.
Page Citation
D. Murphy & E. F. Zimmer, “Henry Ives Cobb (1859-1931), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, January 2, 2024. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, November 22, 2024.
Contact the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office with questions or comments concerning this page, including any problems you may have with broken links (see, however, the Disclaimers link at the bottom of this page). Please provide the URL to this page with your inquiry.
