Photos of the interior of Cohen House, especially in its early years, are few and far between. During the preparations for a new exhibit about George Cohen in the Woodson, though, some wonderful ones turned up. They were taken on the occasion of Mrs. Agnes Cohen’s 80th birthday party in 1937. Mrs. Cohen was the mother of George Cohen, whose gift in his parents’ honor provided the funding for the construction of the club in 1927.
Here’s the luncheon party. George Cohen is at right with his mother next to him and Dr. Lovett on her other side. The only other person I recognize is Harry Weiser, then Dean of the Institute, (whose colloid lab saw here) seated next to the smiling woman in the hat:
And here’s Mrs. Cohen cutting her cake:
There’s a lot that could be said about this but what’s interesting to me is that the fixtures, walls, and windows all are clearly Cohen House but I couldn’t immediately say where in Cohen House.
Luckily, there was a floor plan in the same box:
They had to have been in the original Dining Room, which is where the lunch buffet is set up today. The tall window in the background of the first photo is the one right above the “AND” in this William Ward Watkin drawing:
Bonus: They also planted an azalea bush in Mrs. Cohen’s honor that day. (I have a sense that 1937 would have been relatively early for azaleas in Houston.) She looks kind of happy in this shot.
I think.
