Stuart Cohen

Stuart Cohen holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in architecture from Cornell University where he studied with Colin Rowe. In addition to teaching architecture at the University of Illinois Chicago for 27 years where is his currently Professor of Architecture Emeritus, he was a visiting professor at universities throughout the country. He is the author of five books on Chicago's residential architecture: Chicago Architects (Swallow Press, 1976); North Shore Chicago: Houses of the Lakefront Suburbs (Acanthus Press, 2004); Great Houses of Chicago (Acanthus Press, 2008); Inventing the New American House: Howard Van Doren Shaw, Architect (Monacelli Press, 2015); and Frank. L. Wright and the Architects of Steinway Hall: A Study in Collaboration (ORO Editions, 2021). His theory article in OPPOSITIONS 2 (1974) was largely responsible for introducing the term "contexualism" into architectural discourse. Both Cohen and his partner Julie Hacker are Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). They have co-authored two books on their architectural practice: Transforming the Traditional: The work of Cohen and Hacker Architects (Images Publishing, 2009) and First Additions: Strategies for Adding On (ORO Editions, 2024). In 2018 Cohen's writings on history and theory received an Arthur Ross award from the Institute for Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA). In 2019 Cohen and Hacker received an award for excellence in practice, history, theory, and education from the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH). Also, in 2019 Cohen and Hacker co-edited an issue of the Classicist on Chicago architecture for the ICAA. In 2021 Cohen received a lifetime achievement award from the Chicago Chapter of the AIA. Stuart Cohen has been married to his partner Julie Hacker for four decades.