Thomas Cooley (architect)

Thomas Cooley (1740-1784) was an Irish architect. He built several public buildings in Dublin in the neoclassical style. Together with James Gandon (1743-1823), Cooley was part of a small school of architects influenced by Sir William Chambers (1723-1796).Summerson, p.412]

Cooley worked as a draughtsman and clerk to the architect and engineer Robert Mylne (1733-1810), while the latter was building Blackfriars Bridge in London, between 1761 and 1769. In 1769, he won the competition to design a new Royal Exchange in Dublin, and the building, now the City Hall, was completed in 1779. The design shows the influence of Mylne's work, which in turn derived from French neoclassical architecture.

Cooley also designed Newgate Prison (demolished 1893), the Marine School, and a chapel, all in Dublin. [Richardson, p.27] In 1781 he began another public building in the city, but on his death at the age of 44, the project was handed over to Gandon, who completed it, to his own design, as the Four Courts.

Outside Dublin, Cooley built a number of country houses including Caledon (1779), for James Alexander, later Earl of Caledon.cite web |url=http://ireland.archiseek.com/architects_ireland/cooley.html |title=Architects of Ireland - Thomas Cooley (1740-1784) |work=Archiseek |accessdate=2008-08-09] He designed several buildings in Armagh, including the Archbishop's Palace (now the town hall), and the public library. [cite web |url=http://ireland.archiseek.com/buildings_ireland/armagh/armagh/library.html |title=Public Library,Armagh |work=Archiseek |accessdate=2008-08-09]

References

*Richardson, Albert E. (2001) "Monumental Classic Architecture in Great Britain and Ireland". Courier Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0486415345
*Summerson, John (1993) "Architecture in Britain: 1530-1830" 9th edition. Yale. ISBN 978-0300058864