Mortimer Place Historic District - 1212 10th Street

Mortimer Place Historic District is a national historic district located at Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia. The district encompasses 21 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure and was built by Richard Mortimer Bates Jr.

Richard Mortimer Bates, Jr. (1887-1948) was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture in 1911. The University of Pennsylvania, School of Architecture was established on October 7, 1890 and was a leading architectural school in the United States wielding significant influence under a Beaux Arts curriculum established first by the Ecole des Beaux Arts[3] in Paris. Upon graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Bates obtained a competitive appointment to the Ecole Nationale et Speciale des Beaux Arts and studied in the atelier of M. Bernier. The Ecole des Beaux was considered the "finest school of architecture in the world."[4] While in Europe, Bates took a Grand Tour, further educating himself on Greek, Roman, Italian Renaissance, and Baroque architectural elements. These architectural elements undoubtedly influenced Bates, as he laid out the plot plan for Mortimer Place, with its efficient use of space, common areas, and wide-ranging architectural styles.

Richard M. Bates, Jr. relocated to California and later designed the Westlake Theater, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The Westlake Theater was designed in the Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival Style with Churrigueresque detailing on the exterior and Renaissance and Adamesque references on the interior.

Bates through his early professional training worked for many notable architectural firms of the early 20th Century including, Whidden and Lewis, Albert E. Doyle, Charles A. Platt, James Gamble Rogers, George P. Post, Arnold Brunner, Cope and Stewardson, and Benjamin R. Stevens.

1212 10th Street is one of 21 contributing buildings to the National Register of Historic Place listing. This particular building is a stucco bungalow with 2 1/2 stories, and an extended shed porch with Doric columns.

King, Rachel. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History. March 12th 2001. Accessed January 30th 2022. https://wvculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Mortimer-place-historic-district.pdf.

Mortimer Place Historic District, Wikipedia. January 1st 2016. Accessed January 30th 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortimer_Place_Historic_District#:~:text=The%20Mortimer%20Place%20Historic%20District,of%20Historic%20Places%20in%202001..