Cobb was an architect. Additionally, he was the chairman of the Department of Architecture at Harvard University from 1980 to 1985. He received honorary degrees from
Bowdoin College and the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. As a student at Harvard University in 1947, Cobb traveled to
Poland with a group of American architects to learn about post-war reconstruction efforts in the country. During his time there, Cobb took over 100 photographs of the post-war aftermath in Polish cities, including
Warsaw,
Katowice,
Piekary Śląskie,
Szczecin, and
Wrocław. A unique aspect of his photographs specifically was that they were taken in color, a rare feature at the time. These are now included in the book "Barwy Ruin: Warszawa i Polska w odbudowie na zdjęciach Henry'ego N. Cobba" by Maria Sołtys and Krzysztof Jaszczyński. In 1983, he was elected into the
National Academy of Design as an Associate Academician, and became a full Academician in 1990. Cobb won the
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's 2013
Lynn S. Beedle Award, and was awarded the
Architectural League of New York's President's Medal in 2015. ==Personal life and death==