Archives West Finding Aid

B. Dudley Stuart was born in London and lived in Edmonton and Vancouver, B.C., before moving to Seattle in 1918. In 1912 and 1913 he partnered with Howard E. White to design the B.C. Wood Products Building for the Vancouver Exhibition Society. In Seattle he formed a partnership with A. Wheatley to create the architectural firm of Stuart & Wheatley. Responsible for designing many of Seattle's historic hotels, apartment buildings, commercial buildings, and private residences during the 1920s and 1930s, the firm designed many of the apartment buildings near Capitol Hill, First Hill, Queen Anne Hill, and the University District. Stuart & Wheatley's early designs featured reinforced concrete structures clad with tapestry brick and terra cotta or cast-stone ornamentation. The designs were of an eclectic English Tudor Italian style. The firm's most notable work included the Exeter House, which boast of having two elevators, and the Mayflower Park Hotel (originally the Bergonian). During the Depression, the firm of Stuart & Wheatley dissolved, and left Stuart as the sole practitioner. During this time period Stuart designed the Deco style Seattle Macaroni Company, which was demolished in 1937. In 1941, Stuart established a partnership with Robert L. Durham, and their firm designed many buildings in the Seattle area. At age 86, Stuart retired due to failing eyesight. He died in Seattle at age 92. Robert L. Durham also practiced with the firm of Durham, Anderson, and Freed, which designed over 200 churches in the Seattle area. Durham died in 1998.