Abner Hugh Cook (March 15, 1814 – February 22, 1884) was a self-taught Texas architect and

general contractor A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...

responsible for the design of several historic and notable buildings in Texas, particularly

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, such as the

Texas Governor's Mansion The Texas Governor's Mansion is a historic home for the governor of Texas in downtown Austin, Texas. Designed by prominent architect Abner Cook, it was built in 1854 and has been the home of every governor since 1856. Governor Greg Abbott and F ...

. He also designed the west wing of the original main building of the University of Texas at Austin (since demolished) and the first state penitentiary in

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

Biography

Cook was born near

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...

, the son of William and Susanna (née Hill) Cook. He may have done a construction apprenticeship in Salisbury. At age 21, Cook moved to

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

and found work in construction. When the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abound ...

brought building to a halt, Cook moved to Nashville, Tennessee, but there was little work to be found in Nashville, and he moved to Texas in 1839. Cook settled in Austin and supported himself with private commissions for houses and furniture. Cook helped form the first Presbyterian church in Austin and built the congregation's first log church with his own hands. On September 15, 1842, he married Eliza T. Logan, with whom he had four sons. During this time there was little building construction in Austin so he partnered in 1840 with Jacob Higgins in ownership of The Higgins Mill in Bastrop. Texas State Historical Association

Notable works

In 1847, Cook built a large residence for a wealthy Austin patron. Between summer 1848 until early 1850 he was at Huntsville, supervising the construction of the

Texas State Penitentiary Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville or Huntsville Unit (HV), nicknamed "Walls Unit", is a Texas state prison located in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The approximately facility, near downtown Huntsville, is operated by the Correctional Ins ...

and served as its first superintendent. Cook then designed and built three large Greek Revival homes in Austin which still stand: Woodlawn (1853), the Texas Governor's Mansion (1855), and the Neill-Cochran House (1855).

Later life

As more trained architects moved to Austin after the Civil War, Cook concentrated on construction. He built residences, commercial buildings and the west wing of the main building of the newly founded University of Texas.

Death

He died on February 22, 1884, in Austin and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

Gallery

File:Woodlawn austin 2006.jpg, Woodlawn (1853) File:Neill cochran house 2007.jpg, Neill-Cochran House (1855) File:Texas governors mansion.jpg, Texas Governor's Mansion (1855) File:Las ventanas 2007.jpg,

Las Ventanas Las Ventanas is a Chilean city in Puchuncaví commune, Valparaíso Province, Valparaíso Region The Valparaíso Region ( es, Región de Valparaíso, links=no, ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Re ...

(1875) File:Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer November 27, 1936 SOUTHEAST ELEVATION. - Judge Sebron G. Sneed House, Route I-35 and Bluff Springs Road, HABS TEX,227-AUSTIN.V,1-3.tif,

Judge Sebron G. Sneed House The Judge Sebron G. Sneed House (also, Sneed House and Comal Bluff) is a historic former limestone Plantation complexes in the Southeastern United States#Plantation house, plantation house in Austin, Texas, commissioned by Judge Sebron Graham Snee ...

(likely designed by Cook)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Abner Hugh 1884 deaths 1814 births Architects from Texas 19th-century American architects