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Architects

Basic Biographic Details

James Charles Cook
Architect
Exact Date
Exact Date
31/03/1955
James Charles Cook was born in Inverness on 25 April 1877, the son of Robert Cook, timber merchant, and his wife Mary who had both been born in Banff. He served his articles with Ross & Macbeth of Inverness from 1892, attending classes at Inverness Burgh Technical School. On completing his apprenticeship in October 1897 he moved to London as assistant to John Belcher, subsequently working briefly as assistant to Wimperis & Best in early 1901 before emigrating to South Africa to join Milne & Sladdin of Cape Town in May that year. He passed the qualifying exam in 1904, enabling him to be admitted ARIBA on 4 December 1905, his proposers being Alexander Ross, William Laidlaw Carruthers and John Slater. His nomination papers state that he had travelled in Italy from January to April of the previous year, but had returned to South Africa thereafter.

Initially he seems to have lived in Cape Town but moved to Bloemfontein by 1909 when he entered a competition for Pretoria Post Office which received honourable mention. That same year he moved to the Transvaal where he entered into partnership in Boksburg with JF MacKenzie as Cook & MacKenzie. Cook was elected a member of the Transvaal Institute of Architects' Council in 1914 and in about 1915 appears to have entered into partnership with WJ Sloan with offices in Boksburg, Benoni and Johannesburg. Sloan left this partnership in about 1917 and Cook continued to practise in Boksburg. He entered another partnership in 1918 with J Ralston of Pretoria practising in Johannesburg until about 1923 when the partnership was dissolved, both partners remaining in Johannesburg. He was also a member of Boksburg Municipal Council. He practised on his own account from about 1923 until 1927. His most important building of this period of independent practice was probably the design of Boksburg Town Hall in 1926. During this time he was commissioned to design a number of apartment blocks, a type of work which became the core of the practice with Maurice Cowen with whom he entered into partnership in 1927. By 1928 he was practising from offices in the National Mutual Buildings, Johannesburg. He maintained his Boksburg links after he moved to Johannesburg, being requested to design several buildings of importance in there until at least 1939.

The year before Cook and his wife Gertrude had made a trip back to the UK, returning to South Africa on 9 October 1938.

Cook died on 31 March 1955.


List of works in Johannesburg:
New Kemspey Building, Fox Street (1930)
Dorchester Mansions (1931-2)
Dunvegan Chambers, Pritchard Street (1933-4)
Lusan Mansions, Ellof Street (1933-50
Stanhope Mansions (1934-6)
Broadcast House (1935-7)
Grand National Building, Rissik Street (1935-8)
Gleneagles, apartment block in Killarney (1935-7)
His Majesties Building (1937-42)
Shakespeare House, corner of Joubert Street (no date)

Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From CharDate From TypeDate To CharDate To TypeNotes
Fanellan Cottage Shore Street Inverness Inverness-shire ScotlandPrivateParental home
34 Fitzroy Road St Pancras London EnglandPrivateA boarder at this address
Bloemfontein South AfricaPrivate

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From Date From TypeDate ToDate To TypeNotes
National Mutual Buildings Johannesburg South AfricaBusiness

Employment and Training

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this person (click on an item to view details):

Employers2 classic

NameName LinkDate FromDate ToPositionNotes
John Belcher2016571897/10In year 1901Assistant
Ross & Macbeth100132In year 18921897/10Apprentice
Wimperis & Best201559In year 1901In year 1901Assistant
Milne & Sladdin204915In year 1901In year 1904Assistant

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this person (click on an item to view details):

Employees or Pupils2 classic

NameName LinkDate FromDate ToPositionNotes
William George Whyte205387In year 1928Assistant

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this person for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

ProposerProposer LinkDate ProposedNotes
William Laidlaw Carruthers1000271905/12/04for Associateship
Alexander Ross1002841905/12/04for Associateship
John Slater2018621905/12/04for Associateship

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
www.artefacts.co.zawww.artefacts.co.zaWebsite of artefacts, for the recording of South African buildingsAccessed March 2014

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuilding IdItem NameNotes
RIBA Nomination PapersRIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum100005A v16 p82 (microfilm reel 19)
Information sent via \'Contact Us\' on Dictionary websiteCourtesy of Diane Baptie201402Sent March 2014
CensusesCensus records online201011