Died in Norwich, Connecticut

Belle Kogan died on December 31, 2000, in Norwich, Connecticut, at the age of 98. Her death marked the end of a remarkable career spanning over six decades in industrial design, during which she helped shape the aesthetics of everyday American household objects — from dinnerware to lighters to plastic goods.

Kogan's passing was noted within design history circles as the loss of one of the last living pioneers from the founding generation of American industrial design, a group that included figures like Raymond Loewy, Norman Bel Geddes, and Henry Dreyfuss. Unlike many of her male contemporaries, Kogan's contributions were, for decades, underrecognized in mainstream design history, and only in later years did institutions like the Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt and the Archives of American Art begin to properly document and celebrate her legacy.

Her extensive archive, including drawings, correspondence, and design objects, has since been preserved by institutions such as the Smithsonian, ensuring that her contributions to American design remain accessible to historians, students, and design professionals for generations to come.