Résumé

Cobb served in the US Navy and Naval Reserve, 1944-1961. He saw active duty between 1944 and 1946. Between 1954 and 1956 he was a Lieutenant in the US Naval Reserve in New York.

Designer, Hugh Stubbins and Associates, Architects, Boston, MA, 1949-1950.

Architect, Webb and Knapp, Incorporated, Architectural Division, New York, NY, 1950-1955. Robert Cole Knapp (born 09/02/1885-d. 04/20/1924 in Garden City, NY) and William Seward Webb, Jr., (born 05/11/1887-d. 01/20/1956 ) founded their real estate development firm in New York, NY, in 1922. It was purchased by one-time employee William Zeckendorf, Sr., in 1938, and went bankrupt on 05/18/1965. Zeckendorf declared personal bankruptcy in 1968. (See W. Seward Webb, A Realty Man, 68," New York Times, 01/21/1956, p. 21.)

Partner, Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, New York, NY, 1955- .

Teaching

William Henry Bishop Visiting Professor, Yale University, School of Architecture, New Haven, CT, 1973 and 1978.

William B. and Charlotte Shepherd Davenport Visiting Professor, Yale University, School of Architecture, New Haven, CT, 1975.

Chairman, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design (GSD), Department of Architecture, Cambridge, MA, 1980-1985.

Studio Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design (GSD), Cambridge, MA, 1985-1988.

Architect in Residence, American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy, 1992.

Professional Activities

Member, American Instittute of Architects (AIA).

Member, Cooper Union School of Art and Architecture, Advisory Council, New York, NY, 1967-1971.

Member, Architectural League of New York, Executive Committee, 1968-1971, 1975-1980, and 1988-1994.

President, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design Association, Cambridge, MA, 1969-1971.

Chairman, AIA Honor Awards Jury, 1972 and 1987.

Chairman, AIA Committee on Design, 1971.

Trustee, American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy, 1972-1990,

Trustee Emeritus, American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy,1990 - .

Trustee, The Brearley School, New York, NY, 1975-1980.

Trustee, Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies, New York, NY, 1982-1985.

Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Design Arts Program, Overview Panel, Washington, DC, 1984-1988.

Member, Princeton University, Advisory Council of the School of Architecture, Princeton, NJ, 1985– .

Chairman, Presidential Design Awards, Jury for Architecture and Interior Design, Washington, DC, 1988.

Trustee, Chicago Institute for Architecture and Urbanism, Chicago, IL, 1989-1993.

Member, Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture, Advisory Board, New York, NY, 2006–2012,

Chairman, Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture, Advisory Board, New York, NY, 2010–2012.

Professional Awards

Fellow, American Institute of Architects (FAIA).

Member, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, NY.

Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, MA.

Recipient, American Academy of Arts and Letters, Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize, New York, NY, 1977.

Associate, National Academy of Design, New York, NY, 1983. (See "Associates: Architects," National Academy of Design 162nd Annual Exhibition, March 24-April 29, 1987, [New York: National Academy of Design, 1987], n.p.)

Recipient, Bowdoin College, Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree, Bowdoin, ME, 1985.

Honorary Doctor Honoris Causa in Technical Sciences, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zurich), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland, 1990.

Recipient, Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, NY.

Recipient, Brandeis University, Poses Creative Arts Award Medal for Architecture, Waltham, MA.

Recipient, Boston Society of Architects, Harleston Parker Award, Boston, MA.

Recipient, Architectural League of New York, President’s Medal, New York, NY.

Recipient, American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter, the Medal of Honor, New York, NY.

Recipient, American Institute of Architects, Illinois Council, Chicago Architecture Award, Chicago, IL.

Recipient, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education.

Recipient, Council on Tall Buildings in the Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award, Chicago, IL.

President, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, NY, 2012-2015.

High School/College

Graduate, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH, 1943. He saw active duty in the US Navy from 1944-1946.

A.B., Harvard College, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 1943-1947. Cobb was the Treasurer of the Harvard Lampoon in 1945. He belonged to the Hasty Pudding-Institute of 1770, and was President of the Fly Club in 1945. He resided in Eliot House in 1947.

M.Arch., Harvard University, Graduate School of Design (GSD), Cambridge, MA, 1949.

Relocation

Born in Boston, MA, Henry N. Cobb grew up in a house at 15 Goddard Avenue in Brookline, MA. In 1930, the Cobbs maintained two Irish servants, Mary Galvin (born c. 1887 in Ireland) and Nora Neville (born c. 1881 in Ireland). (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0009; FHL microfilm: 2340668, accessed 05/16/2019.) A decade later, the Cobb household included an African-American butler, John M. Williams (born c. 1912 in MA) and his wife, Isabelle Williams (born c. 1915 in VA). In 1940, the house had an estimated value of $20,000, a relatively modest residence in this well-to-do neighborhood. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: m-t0627-01626; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 11-68, accessed 05/16/2019.)

In 1962, Cobb resided in an apartment at 830 Park Avenue in New York, NY.

In later life, Cobb resided in New York, NY, and North Haven, ME.

Parents

His father was Charles Kane Cobb, II, (born 12/26/1888 in Brookline, MA-d. 08/1968 in MA) an investment counselor, and Elsie Quincy Nichols (born 04/18/1898 in Boston, MA-d. 08/09/1992 in MA), who managed the household that consisted of three sons. They included: Charles K. Cobb, III., (born 08/28/1924 in Boston, MA-d. 02/06/2002 in MA), Henry and John W. Cobb (born 10/04/1927 in Boston, MA).

The 1930 US Census also indicated that Elsie worked in real estate.

Biographical Notes

Cobb accompanied his mother and two brothers from Le Havre, France to New York, NY, between 09/06/1935 and 09/15/1935. The sailed aboard the Cunard White Star Liner M.V. Britannic. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1935; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 5704; Line: 10; Page Number: 105, accessed 05/16/2019.)

Cobb traveled between London, England and New York, NY on 10/17/1962. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; NAI Number: 2848504; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787 - 2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: A3998; NARA Roll Number: 791, accessed 05/16/2019.)

• Boston, MA (Architect's Birth)
  Boston, MA

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