Cook, Frederick Scott

Frederick Scott Cook (April 1855 - December 28, 1935) was a surveyor and civil engineer active in New York City in the late 19th century. He is best known for serving as the chief engineer for the Croton Aqueduct Commission and designing the Croton Aqueduct Gate House at 135th St. Cook was born in Caldwell, New Jersey and moved between New Jersey and Pennsylvania as a child. By the late 1870s, he was working as a civil engineer based in Jersey City. An obituary for Cook notes that he helped design the elevated railways of Manhattan around this time. His earliest cataloged works are maps dating from 1882 done for the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway and the New York, Ontario and Western Railway. Soon afterwards, he began his work for the Croton Aqueduct. Afterwards, he primarily produced maps and diagrams relating to the Bronx, including more work related to aqueducts and water supply as well as promotional maps for various real estate developments. From around 1890, he was based in Yonkers, a suitable location for surveying the marching growth of New York City towards Westchester County. In 1881, Cook married Josephine Steed Mervin and with her had four daughters. While in Yonkers, Cook was deeply involved in civic life, helping establish the local Chamber of Commerce and being a volunteer firefighter. Late in his life, Cook returned to New Jersey, settling in Ashbury Park. In addition to his work on the Croton Aqueduct, Cook also was a division engineer for the Jerome Park Reservoir and the Croton Falls Dam, leaving a significant legacy for the water supply systems of the Bronx and New York City as a whole.