Ellsworth Storey (November 16, 1879 – May 28, 1960) was a Seattlearchitect. He is known for combining contemporary and historical architectural styles with local materials to create a regional architectural style that reflected the natural environment of the Pacific Northwest.[1]
He moved to Seattle in 1903 to begin his career. His early projects, including the Hoo Hoo house, designed for the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition, were designed in a mix of Arts and Crafts and Tudor Revival styles, but also incorporated elements of pioneer architecture.[2] Many of Storey's early residences, including the Henry C. Storey and Ellsworth Storey houses, which he built for himself and his parents, reflect his fondness for Swiss chalets.
Between 1912 and 1915, Storey built a set of 12 rental cottages adjacent to Colman Park on Lake Washington Boulevard. The Ellsworth Storey Cottages, as they came to be known, were constructed with exposed frames, shingled roofs, and interior detailing made from local woods. The cottages also featured generous front porches that encouraged neighborly interactions,[5] and modular designs that made the most of their modest size.[1] The fresh, non-derivative forms of these cottages, and their imaginative use of local materials, influenced the Northwest Regional style developed by mid-century modernist architects such as John Yeon and Pietro Belluschi.[6]
Storey continued to work with government agencies into the 1950s, including projects for the Federal Housing Authority and United States Navy's Sand Point Naval Air Station. He retired completely from architecture in 1955. He died in 1960, in Ithaca, New York, and requested that his ashes be scattered over Puget Sound.[1]
