THOMAS WRIGHT COOPER, AIA (1897-1957)

Born in Raleigh NC, Cooper was self-taught in architecture and engineering. He worked for James Salter from 1914-1917, left to work for the Newport News Shipbuilding Company, then returned to the same firm to work with Salter and G. Murray Nelson. When Salter left, Cooper became a partner as Cooper and Nelson and designed the State Agriculture Building in Raleigh. In 1944, he partnered with Ross Shumaker who was campus architect at NCSU. He was also a partner with Robert B. Lyons in the mid-1950s. Cooper designed the Beth Meyer Synagogue on St. Mary's Street in 1951, one of the first houses of worship in Raleigh with Modernist design. He was President of AIANC in 1952 and designed many buildings around Raleigh, including Pullen Memorial Baptist Church and various buildings at NC State. Towards the end of his career, Cooper partnered with Albert Haskins and Richard Rice to form Cooper Haskins and Rice.

1923 - The Albert L. and Arabel Cox House, aka Cox-Williams House, aka Mount Vernon, 1006 Harvey Street, Raleigh NC. Former address: 901 Holt Drive. Built by James A. Davidson. This replica of George Washington's home in Virginia is roughly two-thirds the size of the original. Sold to Alfred Williams. Sold in 1993 to Charles McKinney. Deeded in 2007 to Suzanne McKinney. Sold in 2008 to JDJKE, LLC.

Around 1925 - The Thomas Ruffin House, 1001 Harvey Street, Raleigh NC. Built by James A. Davidson.

1926 - The Howard White House, 1525 Carr Street, Raleigh NC. Built by James A. Davidson. Sold to KD and Sara Lynn Kennedy.

1927 - The H. Paul Yelverton House, 1510 Carr Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1982 to Patrick and Alice Keenan. Sold in 1985 to Thomas and Katharine Blanton. Sold again in 1985 to Joel and Carole Albertson. Sold in 1986 to Ralph and Elizabeth Johnson. Sold in 1999 to Thomas Young.

1929 - The N. A. Dunn House, 1105 Cowper Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold to Henry and Anne Bent. Sold in 1989 to Alan Rosen and Susan Levy.

1930 - The W. H. Bond House, 2628 Fairview Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold to George Poole. Sold in 1989 to Maureen and Robert Morrell Jr.

1930 - The H. K. Witherspoon House, 2630 Fairview Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold to Joanne and Woodrow Thomasson Jr. Sold in 1988 to Charles and Patricia Matthews. Sold in 1996 to Michael and Nancy Knudsen. Sold in 2014 to Steven and Heidi Urish.

1930 - The Alice Joyce Cooper House, 123 Forest Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1984 to Richard and Deborah Moore. Sold in 1991 to George Parham and Virginia Smith. Sold in 1995 to Martha Lawrence.

1931 - The Julian and Lillian Rand House, 1544 Carr Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John Coffey and Howard Satterfield. Project architect, G. Murray Nelson.

1931 - The James R. Weatherspoon House, 1103 Cowper Drive, Raleigh NC. Sold in 2017 to Scott and Anne Wein.

1932 - The William Proctor House, 1521 Jarvis Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

1933 - The G. L. Dillon House, 1918 St. Mary's Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold to Lois and Jennings Bryan Smith Jr. Sold in 1983 to John and Peggy Koon. Sold in 1989 to Kenneth and Lynn Hobgood.

1934 - The Victor Sorrell House, 1535 Caswell Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

1934 - The John H. Johnson House, 2915 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Address needs confirmation.

1934 - The J. Deryl Hart House, 2324 Duke University Road, Durham NC. George W. Kane, builder. Hart came to Duke as head of surgery and later became President of Duke University. Became the official President's house.

1935 - The Ned Barclay Ball and Grace Ball House, White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

1935 - The James E. Briggs House, 2021 St. Mary's Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold to Bruce and Thelma Carter. Deeded to Diantha Carter. Sold in 2002 to Michael and Heather Warren.

1935 - The R. D. Beam House, 1539 Caswell Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1954 to Lee Gregory. Deeded in 1960 to Anne Gregory. Deeded in 1972 to Patricia Gregory. Sold in 1973 to Joseph and Mabel Hayden. Sold in 1988 to Elizabeth and John Gonella Jr.

1935 - The B. B. Fulton House, 2730 Van Dyke Avenue, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Deeded to Ida Fulton. Deeded in 1981 to Margaret Hunt. Sold in 1984 to Joanne and Charles Averre III. Sold in 2010 to Bryan and Kirsten Wheeler.

1936 - The E. E. Briggs House, 1825 St. Mary's Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1981 to Paul and Sabra Woodard. Sold in 2002 to Ann and Powell Fox Jr.

1936 - The J. B. Hoffman House, 2800 Fairview Road, Raleigh NC. Sold in 1970 to A. G. Zalal. Still in the family as of 2023.

1936 - The Jonathan Daniels House, 1540 Caswell Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

1936 - The Kenneth R. Smith House, 2521 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold to Alice and R. Curzon Hoffman Jr. Sold in 1963 to Ann and James Turner Jr. Deeded in 2001 to Ruth Turner Camp.

1938 - The Thomas Wright Cooper House I, 1718 Canterbury Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

1938 - The Walter L. and Violet Noneman House, 2106 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by James A. Davidson.

1938 - The Robert H. and Beulah Longstreet House, 1907 Victoria Road, Raleigh NC. Sold to Willis Smith II. Completely remodeled so as to make the Cooper version unrecognizable. Sold in 1995 to Michael and Deborah Weisel.

1938 - The J. E. Hillman House, 2317 Whitaker Drive, Raleigh NC. Address has changed.

1938 - The David F. Cannon House, 2201 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

1938 - The J. M. Cutliff House, 1517 Caswell Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1952 to William Marshall Jr. Sold in 1961 to Russell and Anne Hanson. Sold in 1974 to Albert and Mary May. Sold in 1989 to Thomas and Rebecca Valone.

1939 - The John N. Coffey Sr. House, 1720 Canterbury Road, Raleigh NC. Built by the owner. Sold in 1987 to Susan and H. Hill Carrow Jr. Sold later in 1989 to T. Connor and Elizabeth Murray. Sold in 1994 to Craig and Cathy Davis. Sold in 2005 to Robert and Laurie Peel. Sold in 2011 to Branch Banking and Trust. Sold in 2012 to DJF Builders Inc. Destroyed in 2012. New house built in 2012.

1948 - The Baker Wynne House, 1411 Jackson Place, Raleigh NC. Status unknown. Street name has changed. In Cameron Park area.

1951 - The Thomas and Grace Cooper Residence II, 107 King William Road, Raleigh NC. 1.32 acres. Sold in 1958 by Grace Cooper to Ann P. Montague. Sold in 1963 to Geneva Bennett Stutts. Sold in 1977 to Glen and Elizabeth Crawford. Sold in 1993 to John Edward Dilley. Sold in 1993 to John M. Laing. Sold in 2002 to Patrick W. and Debra L. Cochran. Renovated. Sold in 2016 to Kentaro and Amy Kato.

1953 - The Leon and Cynthia Agnew Residence, 400 Lake Boone Trail, Raleigh NC. Sold in 1962 to Aileen Ingram Lynn. Sold in 1994 to Peter and Charlotte Floyd who still owned it as of 2012. Photo by Leilani Carter.

1955 - The James R. and Joan Swiger House, 3221 Lewis Farm Road, Raleigh NC. Sold in 2021.

Year unknown - Model Home, 2400 Whitaker Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Address has changed. Status unknown.

Year unknown - The D. W. and Nina Vinson Duplex, 1623 St. Mary's Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1973 to Ruth Ellis and Marian Sutton. Sold in 1994 to James Lee. Sold in 1997 to David Wood. Sold in 2015 to L and L of Raleigh Inc. Destroyed in 2015. New house built in 2016.

Year unknown - The G. Y. Ragsdale House, White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The Mrs. Frank M. Jolly House, White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The C. R. Bugg House, Whitaker Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The Roy W. Smith House, Whitaker Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The J. C. Holland House, 2206 Whitaker Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Address has changed. Status unknown.

Year unknown - The Paul Cheek House, Cowper Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The I. O. Brady House, Lassiter's Mill Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The C. F. Gaddy House, Lassiter's Mill Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The G. Wallace Smith House, Hawthorne Road and Ambleside Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The Litchford Willis House, Byrd Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The W. M. Pizer House, Nash Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The Lee Parker House, Country Club Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The H. B. Ruffin House, Wake Forest Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The Mrs. J. E. Kennedy House, Williamson Drive and St. Mary's Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The E. B. Morrow House, Vanderbilt Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Year unknown - The Charles Eastep House, Canterbury Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.

Sources include: Peter Rumsey; History of The North Carolina Chapter of the AIA 1913-1998: An Architectural Heritage by C. David Jackson and Charlotte V. Brown; Houses by Coffey (1940).