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.
In 1905, Embury won both first and second prize in a design contest sponsored by the Garden City Company for a modest country residence in Garden City, Long Island. This earned him prominence as a "society architect"; he gained a reputation as a builder of country homes for the upper-middle class and received numerous further commissions for such residences during the years leading up to World War I.