Located at 610-618 Main Street, this three-story block is similar in profile and proportion to its neighbor. Its 17,316-square-feet are divided among four commercial units on the ground floor and 10 one-bedroom apartments and a studio on the upper floors.
In May 1898, Arthur L. Davis submitted plans and specifications for a new block to be built by Gardner Cook on Main Street. Buildings attributed to Arthur L. Davis include: the 1861 Folsom Opera House Block (demolished), First Baptist Church (demolished), the 1865 John Weymouth Busiel House (St. Joseph Church Rectory), the 1871 renovation of the North Church (now Holy Grail), 1880 Weirs Train Station (demolished), 1880 Sanborn’s Hotel (later expanded as the New Weirs Hotel before destruction by fire in 1924), and the 1902 Central Fire Station on Water Street. He is also known to have designed private residences for Perley Putnam (demolished), Charles A. Busiel (demolished), John T. Busiel (demolished), Dennis O’Shea, and John S. Crane
The Cook Block was one of the first commercial buildings to be built on that stretch of Main Street, replacing single-family dwellings. Peoples Market Co. was located in the Cook Block before the PEMACO Building was built (1926) as well as Whittemore the Florist and Bolduc Shoe.
Gardner Cook (1824-1903), owned and operated Cook’s lumber company. The company received logs that came down the river, through Lakeport and Avery dams (believe it or not!); also received logs that were ferried (rafted) across Lake Winnisquam from Sanbornton. Cook also owned several tenement houses on Fair Street and was a Director of the Laconia and Lake Village Water Works. His “homestead” on Court Street was bequeathed to his housekeeper Grace Patterson and is now the home of the Laconia VFW.