George F. Cook Construction Company records

Collection

Identifier: N133

Staff Only

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of 85 sets of blueprints, representing some of the most important early buildings in the Twin Cities, including the Blake School in Hopkins; Saint Barnabas Hospital, the Northeast Neighborhood House and the Citizens Aid Building in Minneapolis; along with a number of plan sets for the residences of prominent Minneapolis families such as the Crosbys, Harringtons and Van Dusens, among others.

Many of the plan sets in the collection were damaged in storage prior to acquisition by the Archives. The blueprints were cleaned and inventoried by student staff. However, some of the sheets are too fragile to photocopy and will be scanned if reproductions are requested.

Dates

1904-1953

Language of Materials

English

Restrictions on Access

Available for use in the Manuscripts Division reading room. Advance notice is requested.

Restrictions on Use

Please contact staff regarding copyright status of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under fair use provisions of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).

Historical Note

The George F. Cook Construction Company was founded in 1885 as a partnership between George Cook and Willard Pike. Pike's interest ended in 1914 and in 1940 the firm was incorporated as George F. Construction Company. The firm was responsible for the constructions of some of the most notable buildings in Minneapolis, including the St. Mark's Cathedral, Lakewood Cemetery Chapel, Dunwoody Institute and the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce Building (now known as the Grain Exchange.)

Beginning in the 1940s the firm established a number of specialized divisions, including a utility and a railroad division. The frim was responsible for the first ever installation of coaxial able from Sioux City, IA to Sioux Falls, SD. The utility and railroad divisions were responsible for work all around the Midwest, including the Dakotas, Montana, Kansas and Nebraska. It has maintained a primary focus on general construction, working on both new construction and renovation of old buildings, such as the recent transformation of a Cass Gilbert-designed storage warehouse into the home of the Theatre de la Jeune Lune.

Extent

65 Cubic Feet

Additional Description

Abstract

Arrangement

The collection is organized alphabetically by commission name (as it appears on the plans), in the following series:

Working Drawings
Job Files

Physical Location

High Bay, Mezzanine

Acquisition

The first deposit of plans was made by the Cook Construction Company in 1988. Subsequent donations were made in 2003 and 2006.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Amanda Schwarze and Madeline Vasaly with funds provided by the George F. Cook Construction Company. The finding aid was written by Barbara Bezat.