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Designed by Laramie architect Wilbur Hitchcock and constructed in 1921, the Cooper Mansion blends the Mission style and the Pueblo style of architecture. The nominated area includes the mansion as well as a small 1 ½ story stuccoed brick building once used as a squash court-garage constructed in 1923 and also designed by Wilbur Hitchcock.

The Cooper Mansion is historically and architecturally significant to both Albany County and the State of Wyoming. The mansion represents two significant periods in Wyoming history. As the Cooper family home the mansion serves as tangible evidence to the extent and character of British economic colonialism in the western United Stated during the late 19th century.

Beginning in the 1870s many wealthy young men from Britain came to Wyoming and purchased huge tracts of land on which they sought to establish virtual empires. Collectively called the “Cattle Barons,” on the Laramie Plains, Frank Cooper was the leading member of the foreign-born contingent. Stylistically, the structure is significant because it represents Wyoming’s adaptation of the Mission and Pueblo styles in a 1920s residential building. As an interesting combination of styles, the Cooper Mansion is the only structure of its type in the state.