In 1905, Embury won both the first and second prize in a design contest sponsored by the Garden City Company for a modest country house in Garden City, Long Island. This gave him visibility as a "society architect"; he acquired a reputation as a builder of country houses for the upper middle class and received many further commissions for such houses in the years surrounding World War I.
Embury's work was showcased in 1905 when he won both first and second prize in a design contest sponsored by the Garden City Company for a modest country estate in Garden City, Long Island. This recognition elevated him to prominence as a "society architect," and he went on to build a reputation as a master builder of country homes for the upper-middle class, securing many commissions in the years preceding World War I.