William Wilson Cooke

Not to be confused with William W. Cook.

William Wilson Cooke
Born(1871-12-27)December 27, 1871
Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedAugust 25, 1949(1949-08-25) (aged 77)
Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Burial placeFern Oak Cemetery, Griffith, Indiana, U.S.
Other namesWilliam Wilson Cook,
W. W. Cooke
EducationBoston School of Technology,
Columbia University
Alma materClaflin College
Occupation(s)Architect, school administrator
SpouseAnne Miller
Children2, including Anne Cooke
FatherWilson Cooke
RelativesThomas Ezekiel Miller (father in-law),
Ira De Augustine Reid (son in-law)

William Wilson Cooke (1871–1949) was an American architect.[1][2] He worked in the Office of the Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury and was the first African American man to be employed there.[3][4][5] Cooke was the first African American to obtain an architect’s license in the state of Indiana in 1929.[6] He designed many buildings for Claflin College, the Cookman Institute, and the United States Postal Service. Early in his career he worked as a school official.

  1. ^ Powers, Jr., Bernard E. (October 12, 2020). 101 African Americans Who Shaped South Carolina. Univ of South Carolina Press. pp. 75–76. ISBN 978-1-64336-141-3.
  2. ^ "Building a Community: The Architecture of William Wilson Cooke". Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. 23 (3). Indiana Historical Society. Summer 2011.
  3. ^ Cleemann, Jørgen; Rights, Historic Preservation Specialist Post filed in: Civil. "Pioneering Black Architect William Wilson Cooke". U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Sisson, Patrick (October 18, 2017). "A forgotten African-American architect in Gary, Indiana, illustrates a preservation gap". Curbed. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Bainbridge, Judith T. (April 15, 2016). "Cook, William Wilson". South Carolina Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).