Architect
Centurion, 1891–1916
Born 23 July 1846 in New York (Manhattan), New York
Died 25 March 1916 in New York (Manhattan), New York
Buried Woodlawn Cemetery
, Bronx, New York
Proposed by Leroy M. Yale, Charles Follen McKim, Stanford White, and Robert Underwood Johnson
Elected 7 February 1891 at age forty-four
Archivist’s Note: Brother-in-law of Carleton Sprague and Henry Ware Sprague
Proposer of:
Century Memorial
It would be hard to name an architect more respected and beloved, both within his profession and without, than Walter Cook; or one who had more constantly labored to raise its standards of qualification and conduct. As member and president of the American Institute of Architects and of its New York Chapter, he had done his share: well done, thou good and faithful member and servant of the architectural profession! Your repute rests not only in the many admirable buildings which you designed, but in the minds of your brethren.
Walter Cook was a scholar. After graduating at Harvard he was offered a tutorship in Latin. Although deciding to adopt architecture, he never lost his taste for languages both classical and modern. Wherever he studied and followed his profession, at Munich, Paris, or New York, he continued to furnish his mind with forms of literary knowledge; a fact appreciated by those who knew him. He was such a friendly man; so kind to younger men in difficulties. But he was nowhere better loved than in The Century.
Henry Osborn Taylor
1917 Century Association Yearbook
