DESIGN HERITAGE
"All of us lost a great friend and creative genius in Richard McCooey, but we have not lost his influence and we have not lost his legacy."
-Karen McCooey
Richard began collecting when he was just 20 years old.
One day a particular original drawing in a shop window struck Richard with its history and wonderful graphic design. He knew he had to own that original Frederic Remington mixed media drawing. That was the moment his collecting career began. Richard bought the Remington. In addition to a business career, Karen's talent and skill in drawing and painting were a perfect fit for joining Richard at auctions and outdoor markets. Together Richard and Karen amassed a nice collection.
Karen is dedicated to caring for it and adding to it.
After graduating from Georgetown University, that Richard began a very new life as a restaurateur in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, merely steps away from his Alma Mater. But first, these restaurants had to be envisioned, designed, built and decorated.
Richard McCooey was the visionary and he was fortunate to have two gifted professionals on board.
Richard Kelly was an American lighting designer and is considered to be one of the pioneers of architectural lighting design. He had already established his own New York-based lighting practice before enrolling at the Yale School of Architecture from which he graduated. Kelly characterized the difficulty in selling lighting consultancy, then a new discipline, when he reflected: "There weren't lighting consultants then. Nobody would pay for my ideas, but they would buy fixtures." Eventually, his work in lighting design led him to coin the terms 'focal glow', 'ambient luminescence' and 'play of brilliants' to describe particular effects in lighting design. His later career also saw him lecture at Yale, Princeton, and Harvard Universities.
After his death, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America established the Richard Kelly Grant in his name to encourage creativity in lighting among young people. Richard Kelly collaborated with the greatest architects of the twentieth century, including Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson, Eero Saarinen, and Louis Kahn. Such lighting projects include: David H. Koch Theater (then the New York State Theater), Glass House, Kimbell Art Museum, and the Seagram Building. -from Wikipedia
Raymond C. Brophy was the Commercial Realtor who made it all happen. A graduate of Georgetown University himself, Ray was only one year behind Richard. He was the perfect personality to handle Richard and his negotiations with the university. Ray was loyal to both Richard and to the work - he postponed his honeymoon. Jeannette, fortunately, was becoming a dear friend of Richard too! Their son Andrew, Richard's Godson, now carries on the family business. Their daughter Brenda and Andrew are both Georgetown grads.
Richard's clear and brilliant vision and his incredible talent for interior design were drawn from his own astute sense of taste and style. He filled the walls with original, historical, and rare pieces from his own private art collection. He decorated the interiors of the 1789, the Tombs, and eventually F. Scott's restaurants with antique furniture, impeccably. So began his life operating his own restaurants: The 1789, The Tombs and F. Scott's in Georgetown, Washington D.C.
Over twenty years later, Richard embarked on his second career the day he sold his landmark restaurants to Clyde's Restaurant Group. Richard's design firm, Persona Studios, was born; creating and designing restaurants, resorts, hotels and clubs all across the U.S. and around the world. Karen later joined the firm; working with Richard for over 20 years gave Karen lessons, insights, and experience bar-none.
Today, Karen McCooey takes her design philosophy from Richard McCooey. Ever the philosopher raconteur, Richard's thinking can be summed up in one word: "soul." It is this single idea, purpose, to bring soul to your space, that permeates the Karen McCooey designing mission from beginning to end and differentiates her from all others.
Karen keeps Richard's legacy alive through the Richard McCooey Cares Foundation.
