Cooley House

02/11/2026

10/30/2025

Don't forget to join us this evening from 5:30 to 7:00 at the Masur Museum of Art, for the Cooley House Fall Lecture. Rhett Parker with Campo Architects will discuss plans for the upcoming rehabilitation of the Cooley House and the planning that went into the design. The event is free and open to the public. 1400 South Grand Street - Monroe.

10/21/2025

Happy Birthday to Gilbert Brian "G.B." Cooley, Monroe businessman who hired Chicago architect, Walter Burley Griffin, to design a house for he and his wife in 1908. Mr. Cooley wisely invested his savings in updating his steam laundry, and delayed construction of his house until 1925. This rare example of Prairie style architecture in the South will soon be rehabilitated, through the help of a Save America's Treasures Grant from the National Park Service.

Join usnext week for a discussion of the rehabilitation work ahead and vision for the Cooley House. The talk will be held at the Masur Museum of Art - 1400 South Grand Street - Monroe - 5:30 to 7 p.m. - Thursday, October 30th. This lecture is sponsored by The Gregory Stone Family, Layton Castle, the Masur Museum of Art, and City of Monroe.

Learn more about Mr. Cooley (and other notables) through StoryMaps on the Louisiana Register of Historic Cemeteries, a project of the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/54bc67b56cc84f7a97849e1e3aeb87ca

09/09/2025

Get your final bid in before 5 this Friday at the Ouachita Candy Co. auction to support the Cooley House Rehabilitation. Thanks for your support!

07/25/2025

Thank you to the Monroe Garden Club volunteers for keeping the planting beds at Cooley House looking great this summer!

02/14/2025

Happy Birthday to Marion Mahony Griffin!

01/13/2025

Part of a restoration is reading the building for signs of what features or finishes were once there. Here's one example from the Cooley House. Early photos show two wall sconces facing South Grand Street, which featured the street number on a glass pane. You can see them in this photo, from the National Library of Australia's Collection: https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-150292051/view

01/10/2025

Check out the latest coverage of the Cooley House in 64 Parishes magazine. Donations through our secure website are matched by our Save America's Treasures Grant and 100% of your donation goes to restoring the Cooley House. https://cooleyhouse.org/

https://64parishes.org/house-that-steam-built

Architect Walter Burley Griffin's Cooley House in Monroe is the only remaining example of prairie-style architecture in the area.

01/09/2025

Plans are being developed for the restoration of the Cooley House and we're glad to share our progress. One feature that will be retained in the basement is the Argo Wand Vacuum Cleaner.
From various points in the Cooley House, a hose could be connected to send dirt and dust to a canister in the basement. This system was manufactured by the American Radiator Company of Chicago, which evolved into a branch of American Standard.

12/27/2024

If a tax-deductible donation could be of use for you when filing your 2024 taxes, please consider supporting the restoration of the Cooley House by December 31. Donations may be made through our secure website at https://cooleyhouse.org/give/ and the value of your gift will be doubled, as a match to our Save America's Treasures Grant. Acknowledgment letters will be sent out after the first of the year. Thank you!

Help support our work to restore the Cooley House and open it to the public. The Cooley House Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and your contribution is tax deductible as allowed by law.

12/05/2024

Original screened door from the Cooley House, which helped cool the house before air conditioning.