Abner Cook (1814-1884)

In 1839 a young Abner Cook arrived in Austin. Working initially as a carpenter, he went from constructing coffins and log cabins to becoming the architect and builder of impresssive 1850's era public buildings and homes, including the Texas Governor's Mansion.

Early Career of Abner Cook:

Initially, most of Cook's work was general construction of private homes and furniture. He built the log building for Austin's first church. For a few years he labored in a lumbermill while politicians haggled over where to locate the capital of Texas and Austin construction slowed.

Federal Buildings by Abner Cook:

Finally, after the Republic of Texas joined the United States Cook began work on various private residences, chiefly in the Federal style. He supervised construction of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville and was involved in some of the woodwork for the state Capitol building. In the early 1850's his style changed.

Greek Influence on Abner Cook:

Cook's best-known and most enduring work is in the Greek Revival style of architecture, possibly influenced by building projects in which he was involved before coming to Texas and by Minard Lafever's The Beauties of Modern Architecture (1835).

Cook's trademark X-and-stick balustrade motif, seen in the sidebar, is found on both simple farmhouses such as the Hotchkiss-Graham House and grander structures including the Governor's Mansion and West Hill.The Greek Ionic details of the Swisher-Scott House once home to Zachary Scott led to the Greek Ionic porticoes across the front of houses built for the then State Comptroller (later named Woodlawn Mansion), the State Treasurer, and perhaps Cook's best known work, the Texas Governor's Mansion. He switched to a Greek Doric style for the Neill-Cochran House and West Hill House, the latter a split-level.

Victorian Construction by Abner Cook:

As more professionally-trained architects flooded into Austin, Cook left the design world to concentrate once again on construction. He was contractor on many Victorian style public buildings of the day, designed by architects Jacob Larmour, Frederik E. Ruffini, and others. Most of these buildings, such as the High Victorian Gothic west wing of the main building of the new University of Texas, gave way to later growth and reconstruction.At least one remaining 1870's era residence, attributed to Abner Cook is Donnan-Hill House, a two-story Victorian style home with a typical Greek Revival floor plan.

Abner Cook Homes in Austin:

Considered the most significant architect of Greek Revival buildings in antebellum Texas, the many remaining Cook homes are a lasting monument to his skill as a builder and a reminder of the existence of a more genteel lifestyle, even in the Wild West. Abner Cook died in 1884 and is buried in Austin's first cemetary, Oakwood.

1. Hotchkiss-Graham

2. Swisher-Scott House

3. Pease Mansion

4. Governor's Mansion

5. Neill-Cochran House

6. West Hill House

7. Wells-LaRue House

8. Donnan-Hill House

About Architecture:

"Colonnaded Greek Revival mansions - sometimes called Southern Colonial houses - sprang up throughout the American south. With its classic clapboard exterior and bold, simple lines, Greek Revival architecture became the most predominant housing style in the United States. The fashion became known as the National Style." - Jackie Craven, About Architecture

• Books - Architecture in Texas

• How to Identify Greek Revival Architecture

• Greek Revival Architecture

• Greek Revival House Styles