John Cook House, New Haven

The John Cook House, located on Elm Street in downtown New Haven, is a historic landmark built around 1807. Just two blocks east of the New Haven Green, it stands as one of the city's oldest surviving stone buildings and has hosted a long line of notable residents with ties to local and state history.

Architecturally, the house is a refined example of early 19th-century design. It rises 2½ stories high, constructed from ashlar-cut red sandstone with distinctive corner quoins left exposed, while the rest of the exterior is stuccoed. A gabled roof, pierced by three low hip-roof dormers, tops the structure. The symmetrical facade features rectangular sash windows and a central entrance framed by stone sills and lintels, with elegant sidelight windows and a classical Ionic-columned portico.

John Cook, a tailor and merchant, purchased the land in 1805–06 and soon after built the house. At the time, New Haven had no stone buildings, according to an 1800 report by Timothy Dwight, making this one of the city's first of its kind. In 1814, Cook sold the property to Captain James Goodrich, a privateer during the War of 1812. Goodrich added the third-floor ballroom, likely built by noted local craftsman David Hoadley—later a key figure in regional rail development.

Subsequent owners include Charles Atwater, a businessman, legislator, and gubernatorial candidate, and Dr. Charles Lindsley, a pioneer in public health who established New Haven's Department of Health. From 1919 to 1967, the building served as the headquarters of the local Visiting Nurse Association.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, the John Cook House is now known as The Atwater and functions as professional office space. While the interior has seen some renovation, the building remains a vital architectural and historical presence in the heart of New Haven.