Résumé

Principal, George Kosmak, Architect, New York, NY, c. 1940- .

Partner, Kosmak and Kosmak, Architects, Berkeley, CA, c. 1957.

Principal, George W. Kosmak, Jr., Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1970. In 1970, his office was located at 722 Montgomery Street in San Francisco. (See American Architects Directory, 3rd Edition, 1970, John F. Gane, ed., [New York: R.R Bowker Company, 1970], p. 506.)

Professional Activities

Member, American Institute of Architects (AIA), New York Chapter/San Francisco Chapter, 1941- .

Member, American Designers Institute (ADI), New York, NY.

Kosmak designed the Good Design Show held at the Museum of Modern Art between 09/22/1953 and 11/29/1953.

Professional Awards

Fellow, American Designers Institute/Industrial Designers Institute of America (FIDSA), New York, NY. The Industrial Designers Institute.org of America said of Kosmak on its website: "Post-war US architect, interior and furniture designer. During WWII, he was involved in camouflage and in the design of military and medical installations. A member of the American Designers Institute (ADI), he joined Alfons Bach and Ben Nash to lead the 1944 relocation of ADI's administrative offices from Chicago to New York, by filing an application granting a new charter of incorporation by the state of Delaware. That same year, along with John Vassos and Ben Nash, he developed an ADI prototype curriculum for industrial design education, based on a survey of its members. This became the model for most post-war design programs." (See American Designers Institute.org, "George Kosmak, FIDSA," accessed 03/07/2024.)

College

B.A., Architecture, Columbia University, New York, NY, c. 1927. His father had earned an A.B. in Arts at Columbia University in 1894 and an M.D., graduating in 1899.

Relocation

George Kosmak, Jr., was born in New York, NY, and grew up there in stable and very comfortable circumstances. In 1910, at age five, George, Jr., lived with his paternal grandparents Emil H. Kosmak and Louisa Wack who resided in a townhouse at 23 East 93rd Street. The 1910 US Census indicated that Emil had immigrated to the US in 1861, and had been naturalized. It also noted that he lived on "his own income," suggesting that Emil, at 68, had enough saved to retire. His father, George, Sr., worked as a physician with his own practice, who likely commanded a substantial salary. In 1910, Emil Kosmak employed three women: Elise Neff (born c. 1876 in Switzerland), a governess; Maare Ida Hanson (born c. 1875 in Germany), a servant; and Albertina Gran (born c. 1880 in Germany), another servant.

Emil and Louisa had had three children, only one of whom survived in 1910. This meant that they had to endure the grief of burying two children, but that also George, Sr., stood to inherit their entire assets.

The Kosmaks resided at 23 East 93rd Street in 1930. There were four family members living at home, George's parents and his younger sister Katherine. The Kosmaks owned their residence that had an estimated value of $65,000, a large sum, even for wealthy Upper East Side. (Residential values in the immediate vicinity ranged from $15,000 to $65,000, as noted on the 1930 US Census.) Neighbors included merchants, a broker, two lawyers and three doctors. As they had considerable assets, the Kosmaks employed a cook, Fanny Stupich (born c. 1874 in Yugoslavia), a maid, Bergeta E. Somme (born c. 1903 in Norway) and a "waitress," Martha Gerber (born c. 1897 in Switzerland). (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Page: 25B; Enumeration District: 0538; FHL microfilm: 2341301, accessed 03/07/2024.)

In 1939 at the time of his marriage, he resided 23 East 93rd Street in New York City.

On 10/16/1940, Kosmak lived at 228 East 61st Street in New York, NY. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, accessed 03/06/2024.)

Kosmak moved from New York to CA in either late 1944 or early 1945. According to the R.L. Polk and Company's San Francisco, California, City Direcfory, 1945, worked as a designer and lived at 985 Union Street in San Francisco. (See R.L. Polk and Company's San Francisco, California, City Direcfory, 1945, p. 983.)

Kosmak died in Marin County, CA.

Parents

His father was Dr. George William Kosmak, Sr., (born 07/24/1873 in New York, NY-d. 07/10/1954 in New York, NY). a well-known obstetrician and gynecologist, surgeon, clinician and teacher in New York City, who retired in 1952. Kosmak, Sr., published extensively on ob/gyn topics, became a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and his retirement warranted a biographical article in the periodical Obstetrics & Gynecologyon the occasion of his retirement. (See Ralph E. Reis, "George W. Kosmak," Obstetrics & Gynecology, vol. 4, no. 1, 07/1954, pp. 1-3.

George, Sr., wed Florence Josephine Fischer (born 02/26/1878 in New York, NY-d. 07/26/1966 in New York, NY) on 02/05/1902 in Manhattan, NY. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Index to New York City Marriages, 1866-1937. Indices prepared by the Italian Genealogical Group and the German Genealogy Group, and used with permission of the New York City Department of Records/Municipal Archives, accessed 03/06/2024.)

George, Sr.'s, mother Louisa Wack (born c. 1853 in New York, NY) grew up in 5th Election District and 14th Ward of New York, where her father George Wack (born c. 1813 in Germany) was a butcher. He and his wife Luisa (born c. 1815 in Germany) arrived in New York by 1847, as noted in the 1855 NY State Census. They owned a brick house worth about $4,000 at that time, on the lower side of values in the immediate neighborhood. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation New York State Archives; Albany, NY, USA; Census of the state of New York, 1855, accessed 03/07/2024.)

Emil H. Kosmak (born 01/25/1842 in Hamburg, Germany-d. 11/15/1913 in Manhattan, NY), George, Sr.'s, father, sold liquors and operated a restaurant in Manhattan. Emil owned property in Manhattan's Park Row neighborhood, where many newspapers, including the New York Times, had their offices in the 19th century. Portions of the Park Row area were condemned to enable the construction of the western terminus to the Brooklyn Bridge, including Emil's property. He was a awarded a significant, if not market-rate settlement, for the land. (See "Wanted for Bridge Uses," Brooklyn Daily Eagle, vol. 50, no. 59, 03/01/1890, p. 1.) Kosmak's lawyers estimated the value of his saloon property at 67 Park Row as being between $300,000 and $350,000, while the city commissioners wanted to pay less. (Kosmak had bought it nine months earlier for $130,000.) In the end, he received $200,000 in late-08/1890, money which he used to buy other real estate around the city. (See "Kosmak Vacates His Property," Brooklyn Standard-Union, 08/30/1890, p. 1 and "The Week in Real Estate," New York World, 03/04/1895, p. 8.)

Florence's father was Benedikt Fischer (born 03/21/1840 in Oberschopfheim, Baden, Germany-d. 03/16/1903 in Manhattan, NY), who made his money selling tea and coffee in a New York store by 1880. Her mother was Katharina Ebling (born 1843 in Baden, Germany-d. 10/28/1931 in New Canaan, CT) who managed the household that included at least five children in 1880. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: New York City, New York, New York; Roll: 886; Page: 568C; Enumeration District: 404, accessed 03/06/2024.)

One sibling who died as a child was Beatrice Florence Kosmak (d. 03/16/1922 in NY).

Spouse

At age 33, he wed Ruth Koch Gerth (born 04/23/1896 in Pekin, IL-d. 01/13/1952 in San Francisco, CA) on 09/15/1939 in New York, NY. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Marriage Licenses; Borough: Manhattan; Year: 1939, accessed 03/06/2024.) Ruth worked as an industrial designer at the time of her death in 1952. She passed away from a stroke at age 55 in San Francisco, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, accessed 03/06/2024.)

Her parents--Rudolph William Koch (born c. 08/1872 In NE-d. 12/23/1935 in Limestone, IL) and Lucile Johanna Magaret (born 1875-d. 1921)--married on 06/27/1895 in Pekin, IL. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Various Illinois County Courthouses; Various Illinois County Courthouses; Marriage Records; Collection Title: Marriage Records, accessed 03/06/2024.) In 1910, Ruth's family lived in Omaha, NE, where her mother managed the household of six people and her father was a wholesale implement dealer. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Omaha Ward 9, Douglas, Nebraska; Roll: T624_844; Page: 6a; Enumeration District: 0065; FHL microfilm: 1374857, accessed 03/06/2024.)

George worked with his wife, Evelyn, in the late 1950s.

Biographical Notes

His World War II draft registration card indicated that Kosmak was Caucasian, with a light complexion, blue eyes and blonder hair. He stood 6-feet, 2-inches tall and weighed about 180 pounds at age 35. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, accessed 03/06/2024.) For his time, Kosmak was quite tall, his height owing, in part, to his mother's height of 5-feet, 8-inches as noted on her 12/26/1899 US passport application. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, 1795-1905; Roll #: 536; Volume #: Roll 536 - 01 Dec 1899-31 Dec 1899, accessed 03/07/2024.) His father was described on his World War I draft card as having only medium height. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: New York; Registration County: New York Source Information: U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, accessed 03/07/2024.)

In college, Kosmak played a musical instrument and sought acceptance in to Columbia University's Instrumental Club in 1924. (See Columbia.edu, "Pick New Members for Musical Club," Columbia Daily Spectator, vol. XLVIII, no. 9, 10/03/1924.)

SSN: 118-18-9941.