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Male, US, born 1879-11-16, died 1960-05-28
Associated with the firm network
Storey, Ellsworth P., Architect
Résumé
Draftsman, Frost and Granger, Architects, Chicago, IL, summers of 1901 and 1902.
Draftsman, James H. Schack, Seattle, WA, 1903. (See The Alumni Record of the University of Illinois, James Herbert Kelley, ed., [Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois, 1913], p. 310.)
Principal, Ellsworth Storey, Architect, Seattle, WA, 1903-1937. Between 1908 and 1921, Storey operated his architectural office in Room #642 of the New York Block. (See R.L. Polk and Company's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1908, p. 1240 and R.L. Polk and Company's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1921,p. 1556.) By either late 1921 or early 1922, Storey moved to an office in Room #308 of the Pantages Building. (See R.L. Polk and Company's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1922, p. 1552.) He worked in Room #310 of the Pantages Building in 1929. (See R.L. Polk and Company's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1929, p. 1968.) The architect had leased office space in Room #302 of the Library Exchange Building in Seattle in 1932. (See Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1932, p. 1383.)
Architect, State of Washington, Park Committee, c. 1934-1940. Storey worked on the design of Moran State Park and other facilities within the Washington State Park system. Christine Carr, who wrote a 1994 thesis on Storey's Seattle houses, quoted a letter from W.G. Weigle, Superintendent of the State Park Committee, who outlined other work the architect may have done during the 1930s: "'During the week, U gad Mr. Storey, our architect, to Millersylvania State Park SP-6, Rainbow Falls State Park SP-8, Deception Pass State Park Camp SP-3 and Rosario Beach Camp SP-4 for the purpose of properly locating caretaker's houses and rest rooms, the building of which will be conducted during the next two months.'" (See Christine Carr, The Seattle Houses of Ellsworth Storey: Frames and Patterns, [Seattle: University of Washington, Master of Architecture thesis, published 06/01/1994], p. 100.)
Construction Inspector, Federal Housing Administration, Seattle, WA.
His obituary in the Seattle Times indicated that Storey worked until 1952. His name did not appear in the architects section of the Seattle City Directory past 1937. Historian Heather M. MacIntosh, stated that Storey retired in 1945. (See Heather M. MacIntosh, HistoryLink.org, "Storey, Ellsworth Prime [1879-1960]," written 11/03/1998, a
According to his daughter, Storey designed "nearly sixty major" commissions, most of which were single-family houses. He also produced designs for churches, a country club, and park and military buildings. (See Anne L. Lindsay, Evolution of the Faculty Club on the University of Washington Campus 1909 through Present, Masters of Architecture Thesis, [Seattle: University of Washington, 1987], p. 66.)
Professional Activities
Patron, Seattle Architectural Club, Seattle, WA, 1910.
Member, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Washington Chapter, 1910-1911.
Treasurer, AIA, Washington Chapter, 1917.
Member, City of Seattle, Planning Committee, Seattle, WA, 1932. He served with J. Lister Holmes (1891-1986) and Charles H. Alden (1867-1951).
HIgh School / College
Graduate, Chicago English High and Manual Training School, Chicago, IL, c. 1893. According to the University of Chicago Library: "The Chicago Manual Training School was the only independent institution of its kind when it opened. Along with Washington University’s Manual Training School in St. Louis, it was the most influential in the country. Influenced by educational movements in late 1870s and 1880s America, the school’s founders sought to provide a comprehensive three-year education that gave equal attention to 'book work' and 'shop work.' Students were given a secondary education in mathematics, science, and literature, as well as training in drawing, carpentry, and mechanics. Founding director H.H. Belfield declared the industrial age an 'age of brains' in which engineering advancement was equally the product of intellectual innovation and technical skill. Believing that 'a republic should have no proletariat,' Belfield and the other trustees rejected both traditional secondary school instruction and the apprenticeship model for trades." (See University of Chicago.edu, "Guide to the Chicago Manual Training School Records 1882-1913," accessed 11/10/2020.)
B.Arch., University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL, 1893-1903. His education was interrupted by a year-long European and Middle Eastern vacation taken with his family, and by periods of working in Chicago architectural offices. Storey belonged to the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity at the University of Illinois.
Relocation
Ellsworth Prime Storey was born in Chicago, IL, on 11/16/1879, and, a year later, his family lived at 292 Walnut Avenue, in the city's Maywood Neighborhood. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois, U.S., Birth Certificates Index, 1871-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011, accessed 12/07/2023 and (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 194; Page: 449C; Enumeration District: 127, accessed 12/07/2023.)
He began study at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1893; he and his family spent over a year traveling abroad in Europe and the Middle East.
He moved to Seattle, WA, in 1903 after graduation from college. His daughter stated: "On graduation from Illinois, he immediately headed west to Seattle to build two houses, one for his parents and contiguously, one for himself and his bride-to-be." (See Anne L. Lindsay, Evolution of the Faculty Club on the University of Washington Campus 1909 through Present, Masters of Architecture Thesis, [Seattle: University of Washington, 1987], p. 65.)
In 1910, Storey lived at 260 Dorffel Drive East in Seattle, located in the Denny Blaine Neighborhood overlooking Lake Washington. At this time, Storey had a Swedish servant, Anna Wilson (born c. 1887 in Sweden), and a boarder, Mark Soderberg (born c. 1884 in Norway), who worked as a draftsman in an architect's office, probably Storey's. Storey's retired parents, Henry Clifford and Mary Lavinia Storey, lived next door at 270 Dorffel Drive.
During World War I, the architect was inducted as a private in the US Army in Seattle, WA, on 10/28/1918 and was discharged in 12/1918 at Camp Taylor located just outside of Louisville, KY.
The Storey family continued to reside at 260 Dorffel Drive in 1920. Henry Storey had died in 1911, and Lavinia moved into Ellsworth's house at 260 Dorfell Drive. (See Ancestry.com Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: T625_1929; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 254, accessed 12/06/2023.)
As per the 1930 US Census, Ellsworth, his wife, two daughters and mother remained at 260 Dorffel Drive.. By this time, the 270 Dorffel Drive House had been rented (for $85 per month) to Alfred F. Woolsey (born c. 1889 in OR), a bond salesman, and his wife, two children and a servant. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 0074; FHL microfilm: 2342230, accessed 12/06/2023.)
Christine Carr wrote in her 1994 University of Washington master's thesis: "After the Moran State Park job ended in about 1940, the Storeys moved back to Seattle, but lived in 270 Dorffel Drive rather than in their own house., because according to Priscilla, he did not want to dislodge the tenants. They share 270 with Veo F. Small, a teacher. The Storeys lived upstairs with a makeshift kitchen, and shared with Small the only bath." (See Christine Carr, The Seattle Houses of Ellsworth Storey: Frames and Patterns, [Seattle: University of Washington, Master of Architecture thesis, published 06/01/1994], p. 100.)In 1942, Ellsworth Storey and his wife were listed as residing at the 270 Dorffel Drive address.
The 1950 US Census, however, indicated that Ellsworth and Phoebe Storey lived at 260 Dorffel Drive. It noted that no one was home downstairs at 270 Dorffel Drive and Anne McFadyman (born c. 1914 in Canada) resided upstairs. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: 2805; Page: 10; Enumeration District: 40-401, accessed 12/07/2023.)
His obituary in the Seattle Times of 06/01/1960, said that he moved east to Ithaca, N.Y., to be near his daughter Eunice in 1956. Granddaughter Alice Chapman Speers indicated in an email to the author of 02/13/2012: "His life ended in Ithaca, NY where he was cared for by his elder daughter Eunice. His ashes were scattered in Puget Sound according to his wishes, and his marker is in Champaign, IL as is Phoebe Mulliken's." His marker was also in the Roselawn Cemetery, Champaign, IL.
Parents
His parents were Henry Clifford Storey (born 06/16/1845 in Hartford, CT-d.11/11/1911 in Seattle, WA), and Mary Lavinia Northway, (born 09/01/1856 in New York, NY-d. c. 1947). They married on 11/07/1876 in Cook County, IL. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Illinois, U.S., Marriage Index, 1860-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015, accessed 10/25/2022.)
In 1880, Henry operated a furniture store in Chicago, IL. The 1880 US Census referred to Ellsworth's mother as "Mary L. Storey." The 1880 Census indicated that both of her parents came from NY. The Storey Family in 1880 was prosperous enough to have a servant, 15-year-old Ella Lukens (born c. 1865 in IL), working in the home. Her parents immigrated to the US from Prussia. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 194; Page: 449C; Enumeration District: 127, accessed 12/07/2023.)
Henry and Lavinia Storey moved to Seattle in 1904, where he lived at 270 37th Avenue North (later Dorffel Drive East) and Ellsworth at 260. Upon relocating to Seattle, Henry got into real estate sales working in his son's office in the New York Building. (See Christine Carr, The Seattle Houses of Ellsworth Storey: Frames and Patterns, [Seattle: University of Washington, Master of Architecture thesis, published 06/01/1994], p. 94.)
The architect was named for an uncle who died at age 17, Ellsworth P. Storey (born 07/19/1841 in Philadelphia County, PA-d. 02/23/1959 in Chicago, IL), an elder brother of his father, Henry.
His paternal grandparents James Webb Storey (born 11/11/1814 in Lansingburgh, NY-d. 07/28/1885 in Chicago, IL) and Clarissa Prime Storey (07/12/1812 in New Haven, CT-d. 10/13/1887 in Chicago, IL) lived in Hartford, CT, in 1850, where he worked as a drover. The family owned a substantial $3,000 in real estate at that time. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1850; Census Place: Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut; Roll: 41; Page: 152b, accessed 10/25/2022.)
Spouse
Ellsworth Storey married fellow University of Illinois student Phoebe Mulliken, (born 02/25/1881 in IL-d. 09/25/1954 in Seattle, WA), on 09/29/1904 in Champaign, IL. (See The Alumni Record of the University of Illinois, James Herbert Kelley, ed., [Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois, 1913], p. 310 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation Various Illinois County Courthouses; Various Illinois County Courthouses; Marriage Records; Collection Title: Marriage Records, accessed 12/07/2023.) At the University of Illinois, Phoebe was president of the Ladies Glee Club in 1903. (See University of Illinois Illio Yearbook, 1903, p. 222.)
Phoebe was born in IL, the middle child of three. Her parents, John Wallace Mulliken (born 03/09/1849 in Cooperstown, NY-d. 06/24/1926 in Champaign, IL), and Josephine Danforth (born 1854- d. 10/08/1909 in Seattle, WA), married on 09/10/1876. In 1880, her father worked as a furniture dealer in Champaign, IL, the same line of work as that of Ellsworth's father. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Champaign, Champaign, Illinois; Roll: 179; Page: 64C; Enumeration District: 004, accessed 12/06/2023.)
Twenty years later, John continued to work as a furniture retailer in Champaign, where his family lived at 404 West Church Street. At this time, the Mullikens could afford a household servant, Lillian Gaines (born c. 08/1871). (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Champaign Ward 4, Champaign, Illinois; Roll: 240; Page: 12; Enumeration District: 0007, accessed 12/06/2023.)
Before her marriage, she matriculated at the University of Illinois, where she joined the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.
Phoebe died at age 73 after a “sudden illness," four days before her golden anniversary with Ellsworth. (See Christine Carr, The Seattle Houses of Ellsworth Storey: Frames and Patterns, [Seattle: University of Washington, Master of Architecture thesis, published 06/01/1994], p. 100.) Her memorial service was held in the Church of the Epiphany #1, designed by her husband. She was cremated and buried at the Roselawn Cemetery in Champaign, IL.
Children
Storey had two daughters: Eunice Storey DeChazeau, (born 07/13/1905 in Seattle, WA), and Priscilla Storey Chapman, (born 08/16/1909 in Seattle, WA). (Priscilla married Kenneth Chapman and lived at 3442 Bell Street in Everett, WA, in 1942. On his World War II Draft Registration Card, Priscilla was named as a "person who will always know your address.")
An earlier note in PCAD was erroneous that "he [Storey] also had a son, Ellsworth A. Storey, (born Seattle, WA, 12/29/1918-died Rochester, NY, 12/30/1993." This was corrected by Alice Chapman Speers, a granddaughter of his, in an email to the author received 02/10/2012. Thank you for the correction.
Biographical Notes
According to architectural historian Grant Hildebrand, when in Europe c. 1900, Storey "...was most strongly affected by the chalets of Switzerland." (See Grant Hildebrand, "Ellsworth Storey," in Shaping Seattle Architecture, Jeffrey Ochsner, ed., [Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994], p. 102.
His World War I registration card of 09/12/1918 indicated that Storey was Caucasian with brown eyes and brown hair. He was tall with a slender build at age 38. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Washington; Registration County: King Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, accessed 12/07/2023.)
Storey enjoyed camping along Lake Washington's shores. Carr related in her 1994 UW thesis: "Before Lake Washignton was lowered due to the construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in 1917, Storey like nothing better than to spend weekends boaring on Lake Washington, and camping along its then wild shores. The entire family would usually come along, cooking over a campfire and sleeping under the stars or in a tent. After Lake Washington was lowered and the convenient boar launch at Denny Blaine Park was left dry, they bought a car, and used it as transportation for camping trips farther afield." (See Christine Carr, The Seattle Houses of Ellsworth Storey: Frames and Patterns, [Seattle: University of Washington, Master of Architecture thesis, published 06/01/1994], p. 96.)
Member, Seattle Tennis Club, Seattle, WA. Storey enjoyed tennis for many years at this club. (See Christine Carr, The Seattle Houses of Ellsworth Storey: Frames and Patterns, [Seattle: University of Washington, Master of Architecture thesis, published 06/01/1994], p. 97.)
The Storey Family took a year-long trip through Europe and Middle East during 1894 and 1895. Storey's daughter, Eunice recalled this vacation: "In September 1893, he entered the University of Illinois. After one year of general academic studies it was decided by his parents that he should be prepared for architecture by travel. This excuse for a 'grand tour' was, I am sure, laid hold of with avidity by my grandmother who was always eager to do the correct and adventurous thing. And at that time nothing was more correct or more adventurous than an European journey. The year proved, in fact, a great success...The group wandered over Europe and the Middle East for more than twelve months, touching everywhere but in Russia and Scandinavia. They inspected Turkey and Greece, sailed up the Nile, surrounded Italy and returned by easy stages through Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands and the British Isles... It was rather the miniature, domestic buildings of Switzerland and Austria that captured his imagination. Perhaps he saw it transplanted to the new background and dramatic landscape, and the same resources. Wood excited him more than stone and brick." (See Anne L. Lindsay, Evolution of the Faculty Club on the University of Washington Campus 1909 through Present, Masters of Architecture Thesis, [Seattle: University of Washington, 1987], p. 64.)
PCAD id: 1760
