Andrew R. Cobb
Encyclopedia
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
based in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
In his day, Cobb was one of the most renowned architects in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
. He is one of the first élèves of the École des Beaux Arts to practice architecture in the region and his homes and buildings are famous for their exterior aesthetic appeal, comfortable interiors, well-crafted details and built-in furniture.
Andrew Cobb was born in Brooklyn, New York, son of an American father and a Canadian mother. He was 14 when his father died, and he moved to his mother's home province of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, settling in Greenwich, Kings County. He completed his schooling in nearby Horton School and later attended Acadia University
Acadia University
Acadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...
. He won a scholarship to the School of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
where he earned BSc and MSc degrees (1904).
He worked in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
for the next few years, contributing to the design of, among other projects, the Cuyahoga County Court House. He spent 1907-1909 in Paris where he attended the École des Beaux Arts. During his vacations, he "toured the Continent", spending time in Italy, France and England studying architecture.
Returning to Halifax from Paris he entered into a partnership with Sydney-born architect Sydney P. Dumaresq. The partnership was dissolved in 1912 by which time both men had established sufficient reputations to strike out on their own.
He worked mainly in Nova Scotia and was busy until he was killed at the age of 68. He and three others were killed instantly when the city bus on which they were travelling was struck by a car.
Major works
- Dalhousie UniversityDalhousie UniversityDalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
's Studley Campus and the University of King's CollegeUniversity of King's CollegeThe University of King's College is a post-secondary institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. King's is a small liberal arts university offering mainly undergraduate programs....
campus (1913–1928) plans and many of the buildings- Dalhousie UniversityDalhousie UniversityDalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
's Studley Campus buildings include the Science Building, 1913-15; MacDonald Memorial Library, 1914-15; Shirreff Hall Women's Residence, 1920; Arts Building, 1921-22; Medical Science Laboratory, 1921-22; Provincial Archives Building, 1929; Gymnasium Building, 1931. - University of King's CollegeUniversity of King's CollegeThe University of King's College is a post-secondary institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. King's is a small liberal arts university offering mainly undergraduate programs....
buildings include main building and chapel, 1928; dormitory, 1931.
- Dalhousie University
- Acadia UniversityAcadia UniversityAcadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...
, Wolfville, Nova ScotiaWolfville, Nova ScotiaWolfville is a small town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. As of 2006, the population was 3,772....
, including:- Raynor Hall Residence, 1916
- Emmerson Hall, built in 1913, is particularly interesting for the variety of building stones used. In 1967 Emmerson Hall was converted to classrooms and offices for the School of Education. It is a registered Heritage Property.
- Horton House, designed by Cobb in the Georgian style, and built by James Reid of Yarmouth, Nova ScotiaYarmouth, Nova ScotiaYarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...
was opened in 1915 as Horton Academy. Today, Horton House is a co-educational residence.
- Neptune TheatreNeptune Theatre (Halifax)The Neptune Theatre is the largest professional theatre company in Atlantic Canada with a capacity of 497 and is located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It performs a mixture of new and classical plays....
, Halifax, built in 1915 it was originally known as the Strand Theatre and is reputed to be the first vaudeville house designed and built specifically as a theatre.
- Greenvale School, Dartmouth, Nova ScotiaDartmouth, Nova ScotiaDartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...
, built in 1915 after a fire had destroyed the previous school in 1914. Built by Rhodes and Curry of Amherst, Nova ScotiaAmherst, Nova ScotiaAmherst is a Canadian town in northwestern Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.Located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, Amherst is strategically situated on the eastern boundary of the Tantramar Marshes 3 kilometres east of the interprovincial border with New...
, it was used as an infirmary and a sanctuary for the homeless after the Halifax ExplosionHalifax ExplosionThe Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
. Dozens of trees were planted surrounding the building and they are now protected as heritage trees. Greenvale School has a list of firsts, including the first kindergarten class in Canada. It was Dartmouth's first high school in 1934.
- First Baptist Church of Dartmouth, Nova ScotiaDartmouth, Nova ScotiaDartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...
, built in 1922, (replacing the original church, which was built in 1843 and destroyed in the 1917 explosion). The stones used are rubble stone and the walls are 30-inches thick, which enabled the building to withstand the concussions of another explosion (at the military magazine) in July 1945 without damage.
- 710 Prince Street, Truro, Nova ScotiaTruro, Nova Scotia-Education:Truro has one high school, Cobequid Educational Centre. Post-secondary options include a campus of the Nova Scotia Community College, as well as the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in the neighboring town of Bible Hill.- Sports :...
, built 1924. This is an example of a well-designed and well-crafted Tudor Revival House.
- Corner Brook, Newfoundland - the largest commission of his career, he designed the residential houses for the Newfoundland Pulp and Paper Company, which was constructing what was, up to that time, the largest project ever undertaken in the history of paper making. Many of the structures were inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement. Townsite, as the development was known, contained over 175 houses and was laid out by Thomas AdamsThomas Adams (architect)Thomas Adams was a pioneer of urban planning. Born on a farm near Edinburgh and a farmer in his early years, Adams moved to London where he worked as a journalist...
.
- The Glynmill Inn, designed in 1923. Constructed by the English firm of Armstrong-Whitworth Co., is certainly the town's best-known building. Designed as a staff residence for Armstrong-Whitworth supervising employees. Cobb designed the Tudor-style house and in his honor the street leading to it was named Cobb Lane. A spot was reserved for the inn on the outskirts of Corner Brook between the town and the mill. Glynmill Inn is the finest building of its type in Western Newfoundland, and one of the best examples of a Tudor-inspired building in the province. The original Tudor Style half-timbering is still in place. The interior design was influenced by the Craftsman Style and remains relatively intact with few alterations.
- Mount Allison UniversityMount Allison UniversityMount Allison University is a primarily undergraduate Canadian liberal arts and science university situated in Sackville, New Brunswick. It is located about a half hour from the regional city of Moncton and 20 minutes from the Greater Moncton International Airport...
, Sackville, New BrunswickSackville, New BrunswickSackville is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Mount Allison University is located in the town... - Mount Allison Centennial Hall is the second oldest building on the University’s central campus. Originally built in 1883 it housed administrative offices and college classrooms as well as a chapel and the college library. In March 1933 the building suffered extensive damage in a fire. After the fire, the foundation and some walls remained standing and Cobb incorporated them into the reconstructed building which officially opened in January 1934. It is currently in excellent condition and an extensive project was completed in recent years on the foundation to prevent deterioration due to water infiltration to ensure that the building remains that way over the long term.
- Mount Allison Science Building In the early 1930s, Cobb was selected to design Mount Allison’s Science Building (now known as the Biology Building.) The University has done extensive work on the exterior in recent years to ensure that the building can be maintained over the long term. Work has included installation of a 50-year roof, re-pointed stonework, and land contour work to ensure that water flows away from and not towards the building as it had done previously. Mount Allison has also done three major projects on the inside of the building in recent years, including most recently a project to renew one of the research laboratories in the building.
- Memorial Hall (originally Memorial Library, renamed 1970; Memorial Hall became a component of a new student centre in the 1970s), Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick was constructed in 1927 in the Tudor Revival style. Part of a memorial listed in the Canadian Forces' National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials - 13002-004 - the memorial also includes the original set of brass plaques which are now located in the Wallace McCain Student Centre. In May 2011, the New Brunswick government issued notice of its intention to designate the building a Provincial Heritage Place, giving it protection from alteration or destruction; then, following a submission from the university, the Minister withdrew his notice, claiming that neither the building’s heritage value nor its memorial nature met provincial criteria for provincial designation. The government has so far refused to release the evidence on which it based its decision, citing "privacy and financial issues". In October 2011, it was revealed in the Argosy newspaper that the university refused a donation from philanthropist and alumna Joan Carlisle-Irving the previous August of $5 million to preserve Memorial Hall, which was the amount the university claimed was needed to restore the building. The University has categorically denied that it was ever offered a donation from a donor to retain the building. Demolition is currently (November 2011) under way.
Other contributions
- First president of the Nova Scotia Association of Architects (1932).
- Founding member and twice president of the Nova Scotia Museum of Fine Arts (later the Art Gallery of Nova ScotiaArt Gallery of Nova ScotiaThe Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is the provincial art gallery for the province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the central downtown region of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with a branch gallery in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia....
) - Fellow, Royal Institute of British Architects.
- Associate, Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (1942).