Percy Rogers Cooke

Percy Rogers Cooke (1980-1958) was an architect and amateur thespian who designed a number of theatres and cinemas in South Africa.

BEING EDITED

Biography

Born in Bristol in England on 26 March, 1880, the son of the Reverend James Surmon Cooke. He was educated at the Wesley Methodist Colleges in Bristol and in Sheffield, going on to attended the Crystal Palace School of Engineering and training as an engineer.

He came to South Africa circa 1903 and was employed as an engineering assistant by the Town Engineer in Johannesburg. By 1906 he had been appointed second engineer with Germiston Municipality where he remained until 1909.

He married in 1907 and in 1910 left the public service to open his own practice in Germiston in 1911, while living at Littlethorpe House in Malvern in Johannesburg . His 1911 Licentiate papers for membership of the RIBA were signed by JS BOWIE who confirmed that Cooke had been 'engaged on architecture' for five and a half years. It seems that for a short time Cooke had worked in association with Bowie. Cooke's address was in Germiston by 1914 when he was nominated to the Council of the Association of Transvaal Architects.

His contribution to South African theatre and film

In 1914 he formed the Germiston Players, an amateur theatrical company and in 1916 contacted I.W. Schlesinger, the Director of African Consolidated Theatres, in an attempt to secure the Globe Theatre in Germiston for the players. This may have been the beginning of Cooke's association with Schlesinger. He won a competition to redesign the Grand Theatre in Benoni, which led to his also designing small theatres in Brakpan, Springs and Witbank.

In 1920 he moved to Johannesburg, where Schlesinger commissioned him to design a synagogue in Doornfontein and a new wing for the Jewish Home for the Aged next to the synagogue. In 1926 Schlesinger commissioned Cooke to design a cinema-de-luxe in Smith Street in Durban. This was to be known as the Prince's Theatre (1932-33). Cooke was thereafter appointed architect to the African Consolidated Theatres and in 1927 was sent to Europe and to the United States of America by Schlesinger to investigate modern theatre design. In New York he met Thomas Lamb who taught Cooke "the secrets of atmospheric theatre with an illusion of sky and stars" (for instance, the Capitol Theatre 1931). Cooke stated that he designed The Alhambra Theatre in Cape Town in Lamb's office. He paid a further visit to the United States in 1930 to consult the acoustics authority, Professor Sabine (who he eventually tracked down in London) prior to designing the Colosseum Theatre in Johannesburg. Cooke was elected a member of the Acoustical Society of America at this time. His association with Schlesinger led to the design of some remarkable theatres and cinemas in South Africa in association with an accomplished team that included H.W. Spicer, W.M. Timlin and A.S. Konya, among others. The atmospheric theatres in South Africa, in particular The Colosseum, Johannesburg, were amongst the few examples of this type of interior in the world and are now rare.

Cooke was among the pioneers of cinema design in South Africa but KALLENBACH, KENNEDY & FURNER were also in the field at the same time, and the differences in the approaches of the two firms to cinema design make for interesting comparison. P Morton Shand, author of Modern Theatres and Cinemas (1930) probably spoke for the modernism of cinemas such as those designed by Kallenbach, Kennedy and Furner when he described the atmospheric theatre as 'this nauseating stick-jaw candy atmospherics' or 'outside-in' interiors' (Shand 1930:19). Cooke's only surviving theatre of this kind is the former Prince's Theatre, now the Playhouse, in Durban. (Wolsley SPICER's role in the design and execution of these theatres was considerable. Cooke and Spicer worked in association with each other several times but did not enter into a partnership. They designed a house for L Miller (co-founder of the OK Bazaars) in Parktown in 1933.) c1935 Cooke was asked to design the headquarters of the Electricity Supply Commission (ESCOM) in Johannesburg, but for some reason he left the project when the building had reached foundation level (completed by architects at the University of the Witwatersrand headed by Professor GE PEARSE).

After the death of his first wife he married Mabel (nee Cecil) on 21st February 1942 and on 11th October 1944 had a daughter Gillian, Cooke's only child. His second wife died on 12th June 1950 and he looked after his daughter until his own death in 1958.

Cooke was in partnership with FL DREYER in Johannesburg by 1945 (cf COOKE & DREYER). Among their buildings is the Central House building (1948) in Pretorius Street in Pretoria. Cooke died at St James's Mission in Magaliesburg near Krugersdorp; his home was in Parkwood, Johannesburg.

LRIBA 1911; MRSA, Lon; Mem Acoustical Soc of New York. (AB&E Feb 1927; Afr Archt Feb 1914:314; Building June 1922:45; Cinema, theatre and general construction. Nov 1931:32-33; LRIBA papers (1911; McTeague 1985; The Capitol Theatre, 1931; TAD MHG 3327/58; Greig 1971; Outspan 12.10.1956; SAWW 1916) Publ: Conditions of building industry in America, SAB Feb 1928:37; The charm of lovely suburban gardens, The Star 5 Sep 1928 suppl:12; Amateur acting brought me to theatre architecture, Outspan 12.10.1956 (portr).

This record has been corrected by Gillian McKay (nee Rogers Cooke), daughter of Percy Rogers COOKE. "He was an amazing person!" she says, she also kindly sent us the portrait photograph.

All truncated references not fully cited in 'References' are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.

List of projects

With photographs
With notes

African Broadcasting Transmitting Station: 1928. Maraisburg, Gauteng - Architect Alhambra Theatre: 1929-1930. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect Amnercosa House, for Anglo-American: 1924. Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Bijou Theatre renovated: 1930. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect Capitol Theatre: 1931. Pretoria, Gauteng - Architect Central Methodist Church: 1925. Benoni, Gauteng - Architect Church Hall, Malvern: 1926. Malvern, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Cinema: 1927. Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect Cinema de Luxe, proposed: 1927. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect Colosseum Theatre: 1936. East London, Eastern Cape - Architect Colosseum Theatre: 1931. Central, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect CTC Bazaars: 1936. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect Duchess Court: c1935. Berea, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Empire Cinema: 1940. Kroonstad, Free State - Architect Escom House (Van Eck Building): 1937. Central, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Design Architect Gaiety Theatre: 1928. Braamfontein, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Garage and filling station: 1928. Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect Grand Theatre: 1916. Benoni, Gauteng - Architect Grand Theatre: 1931. Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect Hillbro House: 1924. Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Hortor's, add: 1935. Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Hospital and house, Randfontein Estates: 1934. Randfontein, Gauteng - Architect Hotel Edward: 1937 : c1970. Durban, KwaZulu-Natal - Design Architect 1937 House George Lenz: 1926. Houghton, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect House Miller - Janeal: 1936. Parktown, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Ismarena Mansions: 1934. Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect King's Court Hotel: 1938. East London, Eastern Cape - Architect Kingsway Mansions: 1928. Auckland Park, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Municipal Offices: 1923. Heidelberg, Gauteng - Architect Netherlands Bank - Second: 1926. Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Olivanna Chambers: 1935. Krugersdorp, Gauteng - Architect Opera House reconstruction, Grand Parade: 1930. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect Orpheum Theatre: 1931. Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Playhouse: 1927. Durban, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect Plaza Kinema: 1928. Pretoria, Gauteng - Architect Prince's Cinema de Luxe: 1927. Durban, KwaZulu-Natal - Architect Theatre: c.1915. Brakpan, Gauteng - Architect Theatre: c.1915. Emalahleni (Witbank), Mpumalanga - Architect Theatre: c.1915. Springs, Gauteng - Architect Theatre, Mayfair: 1931. Mayfair, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect Vacuum Oil Co Stores: 1926. Pretoria, Gauteng - Architect

Sources

https://artefacts.co.za/main/Buildings/archframes.php?archid=292