John Cook House, New Haven

The John Cook House, built around 1807, is one of the city's oldest surviving stone buildings, further notable for a parade of locally or statewide prominent residents. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The John Cook House is located two blocks east of the New Haven Green in downtown New Haven. It is 2-1/2 stories in height, built out of ashlar cut red sandstone that is stuccoed except for the corner quoining blocks, and covered by a gabled roof. The roof face of the roof is pierced by three low hip-roof dormers. Windows are rectangular sash, arranged symmetrically around a center entrance in openings with stone sills and lintels. The entrance is flanked by sidelight windows and sheltered by a projecting portico with Ionic columns.

John Cook, a local tailor and merchant, purchased land for the house in 1805 and 1806, and built it soon afterward. It is one of the oldest stone buildings in New Haven. Cook sold the house in 1814 to Captain James Goodrich, a privateer in the War of 1812. In 1858 the house was purchased by Charles Atwater, another prominent businessman and politician who served in the state legislature and was a candidate for Governor of Connecticut. Its next owner, Dr. Charles Lindsley, was a leading figure in the development of public health in the city and state and founder of the Department of Health of Connecticut.

Today the John Cook House serves as a professional office.