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.

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.

1927 - The Thomas W. and Leona Ruffin House, 1001 Harvey Street, Raleigh NC. Built by James A. Davidson.  Sold in 1949 to Josiah Babb.  Deeded in 1980 to Lucille and Robert Babb.  Sold in 1982 to Irwin and Lucy Roberts.  Sold in 2004 to Richard and Mary Phillips.

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 Riddick Rand House, 1544 Carr Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John Coffey and Howard Satterfield. Project architect, G. Murray Nelson. Sold in 1973 to William Williams.  Sold in 1980 to James and Adria Walker.

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

1932 - The William I. and Katherine Proctor House, 1521 Jarvis Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1994 to John and Jean Neese. Sold in 1995 to John and Sallie Glover.  Sold in 2011 to Wallace and Margaret Groves.

1932 - The E. B. and Anne Morrow House, 2712 Vanderbilt Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Sold in 1983 to Louis and Anna Lambe. Expanded around 1987. Sold in 1989 to Michael Bevis and Teresa McHugh.  Sold in 1995 to Lynn L. Fisher.  Sold in 2011 to Tommy and Lee Cahoon.

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 and W. S. Murchison House, 1535 Caswell Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1944 to Rebecca Powers.  Sold in 1988 to Jeffrey and Susan Lee.  Sold in 2014 to John and Rhonda Hering. Sold in 2019 to Gregory and Eliza Lloyd.

1934 - The John H. Johnson House, 2515 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC.  Featured in Carolina Architecture 1939. Built by James A. Davidson. Sold in 2017 to Scott and Stephanie Earp.

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 White Ball House, 2519 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Sold in 1942 to Thomas and Margaret Umphlet.  Sold in 1996 to Wake Forest University.  Sold later in 1996 to Lewis and Julia Rich.  Sold in 1997 to Todd and Pamela Engstrom.  Destroyed and a new house built.

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 Zalal family as of 2023.

1936 - The Charles Eastep House, 1714 Canterbury Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Sold in 1939 to Kenneth Alexander Kirby. Sold in 1942 to Samuel Ruark.  Sold in 1965 to Andrew and Grace Chantos. Sold in 1973 to Donald and Linda Deuel. Sold in 1976 to John M. and Adair Crute. Sold in 1988 to Laura and Robert Bromhal. Remodeled in 1991.  Sold in 1998 to Mark and Anne Oakley.  Sold in 2005 to William and Elizabeth Fultz.  Sold in 2012 to Josephine Guthrie.  Remodel in 2018.  Sold in 2018 to Abigail and Marc Douek.  Remodeled in 2024. 

1936 - The Jonathan Daniels House, 1540 Caswell Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Sold in 1965 to Walter and Eleanor Wilson.  Sold in 1982 to Raymond and Susan Goodmon.  Sold in 2017 to Watson and Laura Bryand.  Sold in 2022 to Edwin and Lauren Bell.

1936 - The Roy W. and Bonner Smith House, 2509 Anderson Drive, formerly Whitaker Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1957 to Jack Ashby.  Sold in 1982 to Carol and William Langley.  Sold in 1998 to Brian and Janice Coleman.  Sold in 2019 to Stacey Wilder.

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.

1937 - The J. E. and Mary Kennedy House, 1501 St. Mary's Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Top photo from Carolina Architecture 1939. Sold in 1996 to Mary and Thomas Ward.  Sold in 2007 to Adam McMullin and Amanda Dawson.  Sold in 2020 to Andrew and Christina Atkins.

1937 - The G. Wallace Smith House, 222 Hawthorne Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1967 to Edwin Harris, still owner as of 2024.

1937 - The Litchford A. and Ruth Willis House, 2319 Byrd Street, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Sold in 1981 to Ann Klimstra.  Sold in 1982 to James and Harriet Hassinger.  Sold in 1984 to Runyon Tyler III.  Sold in 1985 to William B. and Elizabeth Jones.  Sold in 1987 to Elizabeth Fuller Davis.  Sold in 1994 to Mary Beth Kennedy and Lelon Winstead. Sold in 1997 to Melinda Coleman.

1938 - The Thomas Wright Cooper House I, 1718 Canterbury Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Featured in Carolina Architecture 1939. Sold to Harrison and Martha Underwood.  Sold in 1983 to Robert and Theresa Jeffers.  Sold in 1985 to Joseph and Elizabeth Beam.  Sold in 2023 to Phillip and Adele Brady.

1938 - The Walter L. and Violet Noneman House, 2106 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by James A. Davidson.  Deeded to Walter and Louise Noneman.  Deeded in 1975 to Jack Noneman.  Sold in 1994 to Nancy Noneman French and Anne Noneman Hannon.  Sold same day to Robin and Anne Hannon.  Sold in 2019 to Jonathan and Leslie Mize. 

1938 - The Robert H. and Beulah Longstreet House, 1907 Victoria Road, Raleigh NC. Featured in Carolina Architecture 1939.  Sold to Willis Smith II. Completely remodeled so as to make the Cooper version unrecognizable. Sold in 1995 to Michael and Deborah Weisel.

Around 1938 - The Lee and Janie P. Parker House, 2525 Glenwood, formerly Country Club Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Sold in 1992 to Peter and Janis Brown.  Destroyed and a new house built. Sold in 2020 to David Snider and Mary Phillips. 

1938 - The James E. Hillman House, 2311 Anderson Drive, Raleigh NC. Formerly 2317 Whitaker.  Featured in Carolina Architecture 1939.  Sold in 1982 to Julian and Deborah Bunn III.  Sold in 2021 to Stephen D. and Allison Smith.

1938 - The David F. Cannon House, 2201 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Featured in Carolina Architecture 1939. Sold in 1973 to Sumner and Robert Broughton. Sold in 1983 to Joseph and Virginia Lughes.  Sold in 1986 to Joseph and Chan Poyner Pike.  Deeded in 1991 to Chan Poyner Pike.  Sold in 1991 to Nicholas and Jennifer Stratas.  Sold in 1991 to David and Valerie Cozart.   Sold in 2023 to Williams Realty and Building Company, 

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 and a new house built in 2012.

1938 - The Sidney and Melissa Smith House, 905 Williamson Drive, Raleigh NC.  Featured in Carolina Architecture 1942.  Deeded to heirs.  Sold in 1981 to George and Nickye Venters, still owners as of 2020.

1939 - The J. C. Holland House, 2206 Anderson Drive, formerly Whitaker Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1979 to Nancy Roberts. Sold in 1982 to Elizabeth G. Pickard.  Sold in 1986 to Anne Pickard and Caitlin Michel. Sold in 2014 to Dan Beauchamp.  Sold in 2022 to Andrew and Erin Golden.  Sold in 2024 to Laura Clark and Larry Dale.

1940 - aka Model Home, 2400 Anderson Drive, Raleigh NC. Formerly 2400 Whitaker.  Built by John W. Coffey. The roof shape was replaced at some point.  Sold to W. S. Fleming.  Sold to Ethel Fleming.  Sold in 1989 to Walker and John Mabe.  Sold in 2018 to Garrett and Laura Klas.

Around 1940 - The Herbert B. and Eva Bell Ruffin House, Wake Forest Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Donated to two churches, sold, destroyed.

Around 1940 - The Claude F. and Nannie Gaddy House, 2626 St. Mary's Street, formerly Lassiter Mill Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Destroyed around 1983.

1940 - The J. Paul and Roma S. Cheek House, 1211 Cowper Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Sold to J. E. and Florence Swindell.  Sold in 1996 to Joel and Anne Williams, still owners as of 2023.

1940 - The Charles R. and Virginia Bugg House, 2404 Anderson Drive, formerly Whitaker Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Sold in 1964 to Robert and Jetty Young. Sold in 1996 to William and Landon Smith, still owners as of 2023. 

Around 1940 - The William M. and Sadie Pizer House, 740 Nash Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Destroyed for a Lutheran Church.

1940 - The George Y. Ragsdale House, 2511 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Sold in 1977 to David and Patricia Witt.  Sold in 1988 to Hurley and Laura Raynor.  Remodeled in 1990. Sold in 2024 to Brian and Whitney Leary.

1940 - The I. O'Neill and Nell F. Brady House, 2124 Cowper Drive, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey.  Sold in 1967 to the Edenton Street Methodist Church as a parsonage. Still owned by the Church as of 2024.

Around 1942 - The Julian T. and Nancy F. Baker House, 1803 Chester, Raleigh NC.  Featured in Carolina Architecture 1942.  Destroyed around 2007.

Around 1945 - The Frank and Jackie P. Jolly House, 2307 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Built by John W. Coffey. Sold in 1957 to Paul King.  Sold in 1961 to Walter and Elizabeth Derreth, Jr. Sold in 1985 to Sharon Gail Perry, still owner as of 2020.

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

Around 1948 - 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 and new house built in 2016.

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 2022. Photo by Leilani Carter.

1955 - The James R. and Joan Swiger House, 3221 Lewis Farm Road, Raleigh NC. Alternate address 3221 Oak Grove Circle. Sold in 2021 and destroyed.  Sold in 2023 to Sig and Nancy Hutchinson.  

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).