853 North 17th Street
Milwaukee, WI, USA

Thomas Cook House (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

The Thomas Cook House is a High Victorian Italianate-styled house built in 1875 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by pioneer stone merchant Cook. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

In 1853 Thomas Cook began a limestone quarry business, supplying building materials for local construction. In 1860 he and Edwin Hyde formed the Cook and Hyde Stone Company, which over the years supplied stone for the Mackie Building, the Plankinton House Hotel, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the Milwaukee Club, the Milwaukee Central Library, and Forest Home Cemetery Chapel, among others. Many of these projects were designed by E. Townsend Mix.

Cook continued his association with Mix in this house, which he had built in 1875 as a double-house rental property. The building is 2.5 stories, on a foundation of rusticated block. Walls are cream brick. Some windows are topped with multi-colored arches, some are bays, one is lancet-arched. The roof is chalet-style, supported by scroll-sawn brackets and a sawtooth frieze board. The exterior has changed little from the time it was built.

National Register of Historic Places - Thomas Cook House (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

Statement of Significance:

The Thomas Cook House is locally significant as a unique example of Victorian Gothic style residential architecture designed by master architect Edward Townsend Mix. Emblematic of the picturesque period in American house design as popularized in Andrew Jackson Downing's books of "Gothic" cottages, "Italian" villas and "Swiss" chalets, the Cook House with its combination of Gothic details and chalet style roof is a rarity in Milwaukee. In the context of similar residences from this period, the Cook House has remained as one of the best examples of the style and is known as the only one of its kind in the city. (See Historical Background for more information on the architect.)

Historical Background
Thomas Cook was a pioneer stone merchant who owned and operated extensive limestone quarries in Waukesha County. He began his business in 1853 and joined with Edwin Hyde in 1860 to form Cook and Hyde Stone Co. The firm was quite prolific supplying building stone to many of the city's major residential and commercial buildings of the nineteenth century. These included the Chamber of Commerce (Mackie Building), Plankinton House Hotel (razed), John Plankinton House (razed), St. Paul's Episcopal Church, T.A. Chapman Department Store(razed), Milwaukee Club and the Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Railroad Station (razed); and the Milwaukee Central Library, forest Home Cemetery Chapel and the Blatz Brewery Company office building. The first seven sites on this impressive list of buildings were designed by Edward Townsend Mix. This illustrates the close business relationship that existed, between Cook and Mix which resulted in Mix receiving the commission for Cook's double house. Built primary as an investment rental property, Cook resided here from 1878 to 1881. He lived most of his-life in Waukesha where he died in 1900. (A, C, D)

Edward Townsend Mix (b. 1831-d. l890) was born and educated at New Haven, CT. Mix moved to Milwaukee in 1856 to supervise the construction of a residence, and on its completion decided to remain in the City. Several his early works were built in Chicago, planned in association with W.W. Boyington. While in Milwaukee during the 1880s he practiced jointly with W.A. Hoi brook. Among the more important commissions were the Chamber of Commerce Building (Mackie Building) and the Mitchell Building; All Saints Episcopal Cathedral; St. Paul's Episcopal Church; Immanuel Presbyterian Church (all listed in the National Register). He designed many important residences including the Robert P. Fitzgerlad House, 1119 North Marshall Street (Historic American Buildings Survey) and the Judge Jason Downer House, 1201 North Prospect Avenue (Historic American Buildings Survey.) The Cook House is Mix's only surviving picturesque Victorian Gothic style house in Milwaukee. Shortly before his death in 1890, Mix moved to Minneapolis where he executed a number of large and important commissions. (E, F)