Arthur Cogswell - Triangle Modernist Houses - America's Largest Archive of Residential Modernist Design

Enjoy browsing, but unless otherwise noted, these houses are private property and closed to the public -- so don't go tromping around uninvited.

Cogswell (left) with Werner Hausler

Werner Hausler

ARTHUR RALPH COGSWELL, JR., FAIA
(1930-2010)

Arthur Cogswell was born in Jacksonville FL. He graduated in Drama from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1952 and served in the Air Force during the Korean War. After attending the NCSU School of Design and graduating in 1959, he worked for Don Stewart at CPAA before opening up his own firm in 1962. In 1964, he hired Werner Hausler. By 1967 they were partners in Cogswell/Hausler, a firm that lasted several decades. One of their many notable commercial projects was the Duke Faculty Club (below). When the partnership broke up, their records were also divided. Records from Hausler, who died in 1999, were in a storage unit destroyed by Hurricane Floyd.

In 1972, Cogswell was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. At the time he was the youngest architect ever to receive that honor. His career exemplified former NCSU School of Design Dean Henry Kamphoefner’s conviction that “the social responsibilities are as vital as the design.” Cogswell left a legacy of mid-century houses that still look modern today. He was nominated for the Kamphoefner Prize in 2010. In his last years, he was occupied with an innovative process to relieve famine in Libya. In perfect health, he died of a head injury sustained while walking his dog. Cogswell was also a private aircraft pilot.

Additional Resources: Archives at NC State University

Duke Faculty Club, slated for demolition in 2011. Photo by Julie Hollenbeck.

1960 - Cogswell designed his own house at 5 Marilyn Lane, Chapel Hill, which won an award from AIANC. Sold to Graham Gibbard in 1969. Sold to Samuel and Virginia Baron in 1972. Sold in 2003 to Jesse Prinz and Rachel Bernstein. Bottom photo by Leilani Carter.

1962 - The Bob Anderson House, 700 Kenmore Road, Chapel Hill. Bob Anderson was an associate in Cogswell's firm. Anderson sold to Joseph and Nancy Pagano in 1965 and later would move to a Don Stewart home on Brookview Drive. Sold to Bernard Machen and his wife in 1975. The Machens added a family room around 1979 and used Dail Dixon as the architect. In 1991, the Machens sold to John and Helen Knapp who added a one car garage. Sold in 2002 to Xan Gregg and Bonnie Springer. Photos by Xan Gregg.

1962 - The Mark and Jean Burnham Residence, 47 North Circle Drive, Chapel Hill. 1100 square feet. Sold in 1963 to Kenneth and Lorelei Mather. Sold in 1967 to Dennis and Katherine Marquardt. Sold in 1970 to Gene and Shirley Talley. Sold in 1971 to Joseph and Betsey Lowman. Sold in 1976 to Rita and Richard Mailman. Sold in 1991 to Joel and Teresa Erickson. Sold in 1994 to Deborah D. Wolf. Sold in 1996 to Beverly and Amos Tyndall. Sold in 2004 to Derrick & Chrissie Nehrenberg. Sold in 2009 to Taran Rosenthal.

1962 - The Hope S. (Rita) Rice Residence, 311 Clayton Road, Chapel Hill.
Deeded in 2010 to Pamela and Margarita Rice. Photos by Julie Hollenbeck.

1962 - The James Prothro Residence, 306 North Elliott Road, Chapel Hill. Sold to Martin and Barbara Rodbell in 1998. Sold in 2000 to Shelia Bryan. Rental house. Photo by Dail Dixon.

1962 - The Kurt and Mary Louise Back House, 2735 McDowell Road, Durham. As of 2011 still owned by the Backs.

1962 - The George C. and Jean H. Thrasher Residence, 325 Glendale Drive, Chapel Hill. Mr. Thrasher died shortly after moving in. Sold in 1977 to Eugene Gressman. Studio added 1978. Main house is around 2130 sf; detached, plumbed, concrete-floored, skylit studio is 525 sf. Sold in 2011 to Jerry Finn and Patricia Spakes who plan a restoration. Top photo by Nicole Alvarez.

1963 - The David Hill House, 205 Wood Circle, Chapel Hill. Features a unique concrete roof.
Sold in 1971 to Joel Fleishman. Color photo by Lucy Pittman.

1963 - The Oscar A. Pickett Residence, 404 Clayton Road, Chapel Hill. 5 Bedrooms. Sold in 1968 to Helen M. O'Brien. Sold in 1969 to Mitchell Lyman. Sold in 2008 to the Brookwood Corporation. Sold in 2009 to Alison Valentine Smith.

1963 - The Martin and Musia Lakin House, 2709 McDowell Street, Durham. The Lakins lived there for 47 years. 2167 square feet. Sold in 2010 to Randi Lyders and Scott Kendrick.

1963 - The Halliman H. and Shirley H. Winsborough Residence, 2719 McDowell Street, Durham. Sold in 1967 to John and Nada Staddon. Sold in 1987 to Robert and Holly Dykes. Sold in 1995 to Radian. Sold in 1999 to Radian International LLC. Sold in 1999 to Stacy and Thomas Nechyba. Photo by Julie Hollenbeck.

1963 - The Donald D. and Donna J. Weir Residence, 21 Shady Lane, Chapel Hill. Sold in 1971 to David Alfred C. Daw. Sold in 1975 to Dietrich and Edna Schroeer. Top photo by Leilani Carter, rest by Dietrich Schroeer.

1964 - The William J. and Dorothy Koch Residence, 401 Clayton Road, Chapel Hill. Built by Charlie R. Parker. Photos by Gordon Schenck. Won an AIANC award in 1965. Sold to Thomas Kenan in 1974 who added a dining room. Sold to Joseph Rowand in 1986. Sold to Mark and Joyce Fink in 1999. Sold in 2002 to David and Lori Paquette.

1964 - The Carroll Hollis House, 104 Glendale Drive, Chapel Hill. Sold to Eleanor Rollins in 1995. Sold to Daniel London in 2000. Sold in 2002 to Ralph McCaughan and Andrea Reusing. Architect Louis Cherry did an substantial addition. Color photos by James West. Featured as a News and Observer Home of the Month in April 2010.

1964 - The Dean Smith House, 613 Morgan Creek Road, Chapel Hill. Yes, it is the same Dean Smith of UNC basketball. Sold in 1975 to Margaret Ann Smith. Sold in 1978 to Donald Whitenack. Sold in 1983 to Stanley Black. Sold in 1987 to Burr Eichelman. Sold in 1990 to Bert and Rheta Swain. Sold in 2001 to Raschel and Riley Muse. Sold in 2006 to Cheryl Wicker. Sold in 2006 to Pearson Wicker LLC. Sold in 2008 to Emily Kass and Charles Weinraub and extensively renovated by Phil Szostak. Bottom photo by Leilani Carter.

1964 - The William and Gloria Blythe House, 114 Hillcrest Circle, Chapel Hill. As of 2011 still owned by Gloria Blythe. Carport addition by Dail Dixon. Bedroom tower addition by Dail Dixon and Cogswell. Color photos by Julie Hollenbeck and Lucy Pittman.

1964 - The Enno E. Kraehe Residence, 205 Glenhill Lane, Chapel Hill. Sold in 1968 to Sydney and Pia Afriat. Sold in 1972 to Parker and Janet Reist. Square Feet: 2489.

1965 - The John and Vivien Dixon Residence, 216 Glenhill Lane, Chapel Hill. Willed to daughter Miriam Dixon in 2007. Was vacant for at least a year. Sold in 2011 to John and Virginia Bethea who hired architect Dail Dixon for a 2012 renovation. Fritz Brunnsen will be the structural engineer.

1966 - The Marion Townend House, 411 Clayton Road, Chapel Hill. Marion married Rupert Hanny and transferred title into their names. Sold in 1979 to Burke and Barbara Judd. Sold in 2005 to Gail and Beryl Rosen. Color photo by Lucy Pittman.

1966 - The John I. Boswell, Jr. Residence, 505 Morgan Creek Road, Chapel Hill. Bought by Patrick Martell in 2002. Sold to Kuo Chan Fang and Wang Li-Rung in 2005. Top 3 photos by Patrick Martell. Bottom photo by Dail Dixon.

1966 - The Mott P. and Jane Blair Residence. Unsure of current ownership or address, yet to be verified. Do you know? Won an AIANC Award of Merit. Built by Van Thomas Contractor of Siler City.

1966 - The Will L. and Carolyn London Residence, 2211 Wilshire, Durham. 3900 square feet.
As of 2011 still owned by the Londons. Photo by Julie Hollenbeck.

1966 - The Earl Edward (Mitch) and Marlys Mitchell Residence, 220 Glenhill Lane, Chapel Hill. Sold in 2012 to Ross Barrett and Danielle Coriale. Top two photos by Julie Hollenbeck. Other photos by Greg Taylor.

1966 - The Ann and Arthur Johnson Residence, 451 Lakeshore Lane, Chapel Hill. 1.2 acres, with a striking view of the adjacent Eastwood Lake, perhaps the nicest vista in Chapel Hill. Sold in 1998 to Jim and Jane Protzman. They made three additions and numerous renovations, all nearly indistinguishable from the original structure. Every part of the house seems as if it has always been there. There's a Finnish-style sauna down by the water. Renovations by Ken Friedlein.

1967 - The Ellis and Virginia Rolett House, 640 Morgan Creek Road, Chapel Hill. According to Ellis Rolett, "The house that we built was actually a second design. Arthur had originally designed a steel frame-stucco panel house, which we scrapped after the bids came in too high. (I had wanted something like the Farnsworth House!) Some years after moving from Chapel Hill I was told that features of the unbuilt house were incorporated into the design of the Eastgate Fire Station." Featured in New Homes Guide, Summer/Fall issue no. 62 (1969), pp. 26-31, titled "The Measure of Moving to Chapel Hill." Sold to John Carroll in 1974. Sold in 1976 to Thomas and Vici Cook. Bottom photo by Leilani Carter.

1967 - The Thomas Gustin Kiffney and Patricia Kiffney House, 212 Glenhill Lane, Chapel Hill. Built by Edward Mann. Sold to their son Thomas G. Kiffney, Jr. who had Cogswell do a renovation. Sold in 1981 to Jon and Carol Viegel. Sold in 1988 to Craig J. Calhoun and Pamela Delargy. Sold in 1996 to David and Linda Passman. Bottom photo by Leilani Carter.

1967 - The Victor and Elizabeth (Libby) Greulach House, 1815 South Lakeshore Drive, Chapel Hill. Sold in 1986 to Michael William Hubbard. Sold in 1993 to Stanley Fish and Jane Tompkins. Sold in 1998 to David Hawkins. Bottom photo by Leilani Carter.

1967 - Addition to the Carl Gottschalk Residence, 1300 Mason Farm Drive, Chapel Hill. This house was a small Cape Cod built in 1948. The addition was featured in Better Homes and Gardens in 1968. Sold to Louise M. Ward in 1996. Sold to Susan Fellner in 1996. Sold in 2005 to Brian and Heather Payne. Photos by Taylor Lewis.

1967 - The Leonard White Residence, 211 Glenhill, Chapel Hill.
Sold to Scott McLean in 1990.

1968 - The Peter G. and Ida Philas House, 1704 Curtis Drive, Chapel Hill. B/W photo by Taylor Lewis. Sold to Harvey and Ruth Wagner in 1992. Color photos by Lucy Pittman.

1968 - The Billy W. and Nancy Royal Residence, 1703 Allard, Chapel Hill.
Photos by Julie Hollenbeck. As of 2011 still owned by the Royals.

1968 - The James O. Trogdon Residence, 1049 Neely Drive, Asheboro NC. 2754 sf. Upon Mr. Trogdon’s death in the early 70’s, sold to architect Hyatt Hammond. Sold to Jim Allen of J.H. Allen Construction. Sold in 1999 to W. Joseph Trogdon, Jr., James O. Trogdon’s nephew and president of SE Trogdon Construction Company.

1969 - Cogswell designed himself a second house at 308 North Elliott Road, Chapel Hill, which won an AIANC award in 1971. As of 2011 owned by his former wife Betty Cogswell.

Early 1960's - The Dr. Isaac and Trudy Taylor Residence Addition, Martha's Vineyard MA.

1969 - The Donald G. and Jane D. Mathews House, 1403 Gray Bluff Trail, Chapel Hill. The Mathews had an addition done in about 1980, nearly doubling the size of the house. They also added a garage cut into the hillside. Werner Hausler was the architect for the renovation. Sold in 1984 to Bret C. Williams. Sold in 1986 to Robert and Sylvia Lauterborn. They replaced the single-ply glass with thermopane and put on a new white rubber roof which insulates the house in the winter and reflects heat in the summertime. B/W photos by Taylor Lewis. Color photos by Bob Lauterborn.

1970 - The William H. May III Residence Remodeling, 611 Rock Creek Road, Chapel Hill. Sold to Davor Vugrin in 1982. Sold in 1985 to John L. Currie. Sold in 1986 to Cheryl Comstock Hardman. Sold in 2004 to Kambiz and Anne Zangi. Photos by Julie Hollenbeck.

1971 - The Myron Silverman Residence, 320 Ridgecrest Drive, Chapel Hill.
Sold in 2004 to Sam and Sashi Rao. Bottom photo by Nicole Alvarez.

1971 - The Murray and Anne Sylvia Bonder Residence, Smithfield NC. No address.
Do you know where it is? No photo. Do you have one?

1972 - The Fred and Nancy Brooks Beach House, 321 Caswell Beach Road, Caswell Beach NC. Designed to be hurricane-proof.

1973 - The Michael A. Stegman Remodel, 1514 Cumberland, Chapel Hill. Sold in 1991 to Jonathan Bregman. Sold in 1993 to Keith Quattrocchi. Sold in 1996 to Lenore and Paul Martin.

1974 - The Ann Paige Richardson Residence, 1503 Arboretum Drive, Chapel Hill. Designed by Toby Savage when he worked for Cogswell. Sold in 2001 to David and Deborah Threadgill.

1975 - The Joseph and Marjorie Davis Vacation House, 1116 Falling Stream, on Lake Trace in Sanford NC. Gated community, not accessible to the public. Sold in 1992 to James and Barbara Davison. Sold in 1994 to Tom and Luhan DeRemer who added a detached garage and completely renovated the house. 2300 square feet. Sold in 2011 to Brooks and Michael Davino.

1975 - The George Harper Duplex, 216-218 McCauley Street, Chapel Hill. Harper built it as a student rental. William (Bill) Mullen bought it in 1982. According to Mullen, Werner Hausler did the design while working with Cogswell. Addition put on in 2000. Sold in 2011.

1977 - The Seymour and Sue Grufferman House, 4602 Oak Hills Road, Chapel Hill. Sold in 1988 to Andrew Fekete and Deborah Walsh.

1994 - The Scott J. Parker Remodel, 150 Dixie Drive, Chapel Hill.
Photos by Julie Hollenbeck and Nicole Alvarez.

Year unknown - The Bill Scarborough Residence. Unbuilt.
A crescent-shaped house elevated in the trees.

Year unknown - The Doug Brown Residence, Chapel Hill. Unbuilt.

Sources include: Arthur Cogswell, AIANC, The Town and Gown Architecture of Chapel Hill, North Carolina 1795-1975 by M. Ruth Little, Xan Gregg, Bonnie Springer, Patrick Martell, Scott McLean, Ellis Rolett.