Résumé

Jeffrey K. Ochsner and Dennis A. Andersen, noted in Shaping Seattle Architecture, that Voorhees was "...credited with the design of over 110 building projects, 1904-1929, including cottages, residences, apartment buildings, commercial laundries and garages, industrial buildings and factories, fraternal halls, retail stores, banks, and hotels." (See Jeffrey K. Ochsner and Dennis A. Andersen, "Additional Significant Seattle Architects," in Shaping Seattle Architecture, Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed., [Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994], p. 353.) Voorhees also published a popular architectural plan book, Western Home Builder, that went through multiple editions. A fifth edition dated to about 1910 and a sixth to the following year.

Newspaper Carrier, Minneapolis Tribune, Minneapolis, MN, 1898. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1898, p. 1251.)

Principal, V.W. Voorhees, Jr., Collection Agent, Minneapolis, MN, 1899. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1899, p. 1413.)

Real Estate and Loan Agent, Minneapolis, MN, c. 1900. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Minneapolis Ward 7, Hennepin, Minnesota; Page: 13; Enumeration District: 0075; FHL microfilm: 1240768, accessed 07/31/2019.) He was advertised as a "rental agent" with an office in Room #635 of the Lumber Exchange Building. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1901, p. 1349.) He switched professions from rental agent to building contractor in 1901-1902.

Principal, V.W. Voorhees, Jr., Building Contractor, Minneapolis, MN, 1902-1903. He had an office in Room #635 in the Lumber Exchange Building in Minneapolis in 1902. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1902, p. 1528.) The following year, he occupied two rooms in the Lumber Exchage Building, Rooms #635 and #637. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1903, p. 1639 and 1708.)

Architect, Voorhees and [Lewis W.] Palmer, Architects, Seattle, WA, 1905. For a portion of 1905, Voorhees and Palmer practiced in Room 404 in the Eitel Building, Downtown, Seattle, WA.

Principal, Victor W. Voorhees, Architect, 1905-1944. Polk Seattle Directory Company's Seattle City Directory, 1905, (p. 1392), listed V.W. Voorhees has working in Room #6 of the Lombardini Building, Ballard. In 1906, Voorhees moved to new space of his own in Room #402 and then in 1909, Room #412, where he stayed until 1926. In 1917 and 1918, his business was listed in the Seattle City Directory as "V.W. Voorhees Architect, Incorporated." (p. 1724 and p. 1903) On 09/12/1918, Voorhees operated his architectural office in Room #411 of the Eitel Building.

He then occupied various offices in the Lloyd Building from 1927-1941. In 1931, his office was in Room #1007 of the Lloyd Building and Room #907 by 1934.. (See Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1931, p. 1724 and Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1934, p. 1587.) During his last years of practice, he maintained an office at his residence, 2106 30th Avenue South.

Professional Activities

Member, Mid-Seattle Improvement Club, Seattle, WA, c. 1910. In 1910, Voorhees served on a committee seeking to erect a museum in Denny Park. (It was never built.) The Seattle Daily Times published a brief note about this committee's existence in 1910: "A committee from the Mid-Seattle Improvement Club is to urge upon the park board the advantages of Denny Park as a site for the proposed museum and auditorium. The members of the committee appointed to represent the club are V.W. Voorhees, C.D. Elliott, S.E. Davidson, F.R. Ebright and G.E. Bennett." (See "Propose Site for Museum," Seattle Daily Times, 04/06/1910, p. 10.)

College

Coursework, University of Minnesota, School of Design, Minneapolis, MN, 1894. Both Victor. Jr., and his sister Blanche attended the U of M School of Design at that time. (See University of Minnesota Yearbook, 1894, p. 75.) The 1940 US Census indicated that Voorhees reported completing four years of college.

Relocation

Victor Wilber Voorhees, Jr., was born in Cambria, Columbia County, WI, in 1876. The Voorhees Family lived in Cambria as per the US Census of 1880. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Cambria, Columbia, Wisconsin; Roll: 1420; Page: 60A; Enumeration District: 020, accessed 07/31/2019.) Cambria (the Latin name for Wales) was a small town founded in about 1844 by Welsh settlers. In 1880, the town of Cambria had about 519 people, and supported a business making wagons, as two members of the Parry Family, next-door neighbors of the Vorhees's, were listed as a "wagon makers." Victor, Sr., made his living as a carriage painter. Another neighbor, John M. Owens, also worked as a painter at the time, possibly in this wagon shop. Both John H. Parry (born c. 1845) and John M. Owens (born c. 1834) had been born in Wales.

Victor, Sr., lived with his family in Minneapolis, MN, by 1885 at 2302 East 25th Street, where he would remain until at least 1931. In 1885, Victor, Sr., worked for the firm of Roberts and Lenhart as a painter. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1885, p. 737 and Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1931, p. 1610.) Owen J. Roberts and Frank F. Lenhart owned a wagon-making factory at 69-73 SE Main. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1885, p. 631.) By 1886, his father sold furniture and lived at 2302 East 25th Street. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1886, p. 781 and Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1888, p. 1525.) A younger brother of Victor, Sr., Henry Herbert Voorhees (known as "Herbert," born 06/29/1857 in WI-d. 05/18/1918 in Minneapolis, MN) moved to Minneapolis by about 1886, and also pursued the trade of carriage painting. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1886, p. 781.) The two men worked together in 1897 in Minneapolis. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1897, p. 1186.)

On 07/26/1895, Victor, Jr., lived with his family at 2304 East 25th Street, Minneapolis, MN, according to a Minnesota State Census of that year. This was likely the same house as he had lived in since 1885, although the number changed slightly. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007, accessed 07/12/2023.)

The U.S. Census of 1900 indicated that Victor, Jr., and his wife, Antoinette, lived at 2639 13th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, where he worked as a real estate and loan agent. He remained at this address in 1901. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Minneapolis Ward 7, Hennepin, Minnesota; Page: 13; Enumeration District: 0075; FHL microfilm: 1240768, accessed 07/31/2019 and Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1901, p. 1349.) Voorhees had a dwelling at 2531 Harriet Avenue in 1902 and operated a construction business by this point. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1902, p. 1528.) A year later, perhaps due to marital problems, he moved to 906 Kenwood Parkway in Minneapolis. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1903, p. 1639 andMinneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1903, p. 1708.) It seems that his marriage to Antoinette broke up at about the time of his move to Seattle, WA, c. 1904.

Voorhees likely resettled in Seattle by late 1904 or early 1905. He worked in partnership with Lewis W. Palmer and lived in Ballard, WA, in 1905.(See Polk's Seattle Directory Company's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1905, p. 1222.) What brought Voorhees to Seattle is not fully known. The Voorhees and Van Siclen Families were, however, connected by marriage. On 05/19/1864 William K. Voorhees married Jane Van Siclen in New York State. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors, accessed 07/11/2023.) William Doty Van Siclen worked in Seattle as an architect by 1901. Van Siclen was also the architect of the Eitel Building, in which Voorhees maintained his office for a number of years. This may have been a coincidence, perhaps not.

He and his next wife, Phoebe, had a house at 3055 North 58th in Seattle in 1910. Seven years later, they lived at 2113 31st Avenue South. (See Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1917, p. 1597.)

The U.S. Census of 1930 reported that Victor and Phoebe Voorhees lived in a house at 3816 Hanford Street in Seattle, a dwelling that was owned by them and had an estimated value of $10,000. (See Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1931, p. 1724.) Victor and his wife were prosperous enough to employ a 19-year-old Swedish servant at this time.

Voorhees and hsi third wife lived at 423 Halliday Street in Seattle. He lived here with his wife "Monte," hsi steo-daughter Janice, and an AK-born nephew Richard P. Kareen (born 02/28.1928 in Juneau, AK), who had lived in Juneau in 1935. The Voorhees house had a modest value of $4,300 at this time. Monte lived alone at 423 Halliday in 1950, having divorced Victor, Jr., by this time. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: 2479; Sheet Number: 13; Enumeration District: 40-299, accessed 07/13/2023.)

Voorhees left Seattle for Southern CA sometime between 1944 and 1959. In 1959, Voorhees had retired and lived with his fourth wife, Amelia, at 409 Calle Granada, Santa Barbara, CA. (See Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1959, p. 543.) He continued to reside at 409 Calle Granada in 1967.(See Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1967, p. 806.)

Victor Voorhees died in Santa Barbara, CA, in 08/10/1970, at the age of 94. He was buried in the Santa Barbara Cemetery.

Parents

His father was Victor Wilber Voorhees, Sr., (born 11/29/1852 in Green Bay, WI-died 02/15/1932 in Minneapolis, MN), who worked as a painter according to the 1880 US Census. A decade after this, he earned a wage as a furniture maker, and in 1895, he labored in a carriage shop. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007, accessed 07/11/2023.) From at least 1897 until 1905, V.W. Voorhees, Sr., was listed as a carriage painter in Minneapolis. He worked with Herbert H. Voorhees in the carriage painting business in 1897, with a business address of 506 South 11th Street in Minneapolis. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1897, p. 1186 and Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1905, p. 2052.) Both Herbert and Victor were listed as painters in 1906. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1906, p. 1931.)

He wed Violetta Irons (born 01/01/1854 in Hobart, IN-d. 10/02/1952 in Minneapolis, MN) on 01/01/1875. (See John Harvey Treat, The Treat Family: A Genealogy of Trott, Tratt and Treat, [Salem, MA: Salem Press Publishing and Printing Company, 1893], p. 573.) Her parents were Frank W. Irons (born 1832-d. 03/28/1863) and Fanny Eastling Irons-Kelly (b. 1837 in Canada-d. 12/03/1927 in Columbia County, WI), who married on 04/22/1854 in Lake County, IN. (Fanny married James W. Kelly (born c. 1822 in NY) in 1866 after her first husband Frank's death in 1863. See Find a Grave.com. "Fanny Eastling Irons-Kelly," accessed 07/11/2023.)

Violetta worked in the home, raising their two children, Victor, Jr., and Blanche Grace Voorhees Wetzel, (born 08/01/1877 in Cambria, WI-d. 05/31/1938 in Los Angeles County, CA). Blanche attended the University of Minnesota in 1898. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1898, p. 1251.) His sister's name may have been Grace Blanche Voorhees or Blanche Grace Voorhees, as both forms were used in documents. She wedan optometrist, Arthur Ulrich Wetzel (1875-1953) on 12/31/1898 in Hennepin County, MN. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Minnesota Association of County Officers; Saint Paul, Minnesota; Minnesota Official Marriage System, accessed 07/11/2023.)

Violetta lived separately from Victor, Sr., by 1906. He worked and lived at 2302 East 25th Street, while she dwelled at 2518 23rd Avenue South. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1906, p. 1931.)

Victor, Sr., remarried Myra A. Mitchell on 02/23/1907 in Minneapolis. Both father and son divorced their wives during the mid-1900s and remarried shortly thereafter. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Minnesota, U.S., Marriages Index, 1849-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011, accessed 07/13/2023.)

By 1910, Violetta had divorced Victor, Sr. As noted in the US Census, she operated a boarding house at2518 23rd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN. She had two lodgers living in her house at the time. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Minneapolis Ward 12, Hennepin, Minnesota; Roll: T624_705; Page: 9b; Enumeration District: 0193; FHL microfilm: 1374718, accessed 07/11/2023.) She continued to live at the same address in 1940. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota; Roll: m-t0627-01991; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 89-361, accessed 07/11/2023.)

Violetta died at age 98, and was buried in the Dekorra Cemetery in Dekorra, Columbia County, WI.

Spouse

Voorhees married Antoinette Amelia Blackmarr (born 07/20/1878 in Beloit, WI-d. 01/301957 in San Bernardino County, CA) on 06/28/1899 in Minneapolis, MN. (One source indicated that they married on 07/05/1899. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Star Tribune; Publication Date: 2/ Jul/ 1899; Publication Place: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/180267426/?article=ada0be1a-5324-4eb8-aefd-1e20f8b78519&focus=0.29156682,0.65493643,0.4274002,0.8045388&xid=3398, accessed 07/13/2023.) He had a son with her in 1902, but seems to have parted ways with her in about 1904. In 1906, Antoinette worked as a milliner in Minneapolis and lived separately from Victor, Jr., at 3359 Ellliot Avenue. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1906, p. 1931.)

The 1920 US Census recorded that Antoinette, who was then living in Minneapolis, MN, was a "widow." She worked as a copyist for a registrar of deeds in that year, while both her son and daughter also worked as a driver and telephone operator, respectively, to bring in money for their household. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Minneapolis Ward 8, Hennepin, Minnesota; Roll: T625_836; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 171, accessed 07/31/2019.)

Following this marriage, Victor W. Voorhees wed Phoebe Bell Peters (born 10/01/1884 in Crane, OH-d. 09/14/1937) in Victoria, BC, Canada, on 10/26/1905. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information: Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011, accessed 07/31/2019 and Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. British Columbia, Canada, Marriage Index, 1872-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001, accessed 07/31/2019.) Voorhees married Phoebe Peters, age 44, again on 05/31/1928 in Condon, OR. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Oregon Center For Health Statistics; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Marriages, 1911-1945, accessed 07/13/2023.) This marriage failed again, when Victor, Jr., left her for a 26-year-old woman duirng the 1930s.

Phoebe's parents both came from OH. She came to Seattle in about 1905, and was active in the Fruit and Flower Mission. As noted in the 1910 US Census, she and Victor had no children together at this time. She passed away at her home 2114 30th Avenue South of a heart problem. (See "Mrs. Victor W. Voorhees Funeral," Seattle Times, 09/15/1937, p. 5.)

The 1940 US Census reported that the architect had married Emily Montana Durland Hewitt (born 01/15/1914 in Livingston, MT-d. 11/11/1962 in Seattle, WA). Prior to marrying Voorhees before 1940, she wed Lowell W. Hewitt (1904-1973) on 01/30/1930 In Spokane, WA, and had lost a child with him in infancy on 09/14/1932. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Reference Number: easpmca43366, accessed 07/31/2019 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Washington Death Index, 1940-2017, accessed 07/13/2023.) "Monte," as she was known, was 38 years younger than her husband and had completed two years of high school.

Monte died of pneumonia at age 48 after a stay of two months in the King County Hospital. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Washington Death Index, 1940-2017, accessed 07/13/2023.)

He married Amelia J. Voorhees by 1959.

Children

He and Antoinette had a daughter, Virginia M. Voorhees Holman, (born 09/24/1900 in MN-d. 07/12/1951 in Walsh County, ND), and a son, Frank Ellis Voorhees, (born 08/24/1902 in Minneapolis, MN-d. 09/07/1965 in Los Angeles County,CA.)

He also raised a step-daughter, Janice Lorraine Hewitt Bromstad (born 07/29/1930 in Spokane, WA) with his wife, Emily.

Biographical Notes

There is some disagreement about the spelling of the architect's middle name. Some documents listed it as "Wilber," some as "Wilbur." (His marriage license with Phoebe Bell Peters listed it as the former, for example. See Source Information Ancestry.com. British Columbia, Canada, Marriage Index, 1872-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001, accessed 07/11/2023. In addition, his World War I draft card used the "Wilber" spelling. See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Washington; Registration County: King; Roll: 1991930; Draft Board: 10, accessed 07/11/2023.) Various sources also spelled his father's middle name as "Wilber," as well. (See, for example, John Harvey Treat, "Alzina Treat," in The Treat Family: A Genealogy of Trott, Tratt and Treat for Fifteen Generations, and Four Hundred and Fifty Years in England and America, [Salem, MA: Salem Press Publishing and Printing Company, 1893], p. 573.)

Another "Victor W. Voorhees" (middle name of "Warren," born 06/19/1851 in NY-d. 01/23/1909) possibly a relative, resided in New York, NY, and Orange, NJ between the 1880s and 1900s. He worked as a real estate agent in 1900 in Orange, NJ. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: East Orange Ward 3, Essex, New Jersey; Roll: 968; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 0175, accessed 07/13/2023.)

Voorhees made some income from the sale of house plans in his various editions of the Western Home Builder. The Seattle Sunday Times of 08/19/1906 published an advertisement for one of Voorhees's books "...containing 50 House and Cottage Plans Costing from $400 to $3000." (See "V.M. Voorhees, Architect," Seattle Times, 08/19/1906, p. 42.) An advertisement in the Seattle Times, 07/25/1910 for Voorhees offered: "100-page book of bungalow, cottage and house plans, giving size of rooms, size of building, floor plans and a picture of the outside, 25c. V.W. Voorhees, architect, 411 Eitel Building." (See "V.M. Voorhees, Architect," Seattle Times, 07/25/1910, p. 19.) In 1911, Voorhees published his sixth edition of this bungalow pattern book.

His World War I draft registration card of 09/12/1918 noted that Voorhees was of medium height and stout building with blue eyes and light hair. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Washington; Registration County: King; Roll: 1991930; Draft Board: 10, accessed 07/31/2019.)

A 04/05/1930 Seattle Times article indicated that Voorhees lived at 346 Hanford Street. The article noted that the architect had been struck by a car the day before: "Victor W. Voorhees, Seattle architect... was recovering today from injuries received yesterday when he was knocked unconscious by an automobile. Mr. Voorhees, crossing Stewart Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, stopped in the middle of the street to speak to his son. An automobile driven by Herbert M. Godfrey of Everett struck him. His injuries are not believed to be serious." (See "Voorhees, Seattle Architect, Hurt," Seattle Times, 04/05/1930. p. 3.)

An article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said of the incident: "Struck by an automobile as he was crossing Stewart Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenue, Victor W. Voorhees, Seattle architect living at 346 Hanford Street, was knocked unconscious yesterday afternoon. He suffered head injuries of an undetermined nature, but his conditions was not believed to be serious. Herbert M. Godfrey of Everett was driving the machine. According to police, Voorhees was talking to another man when Godfrey's car knocked him down." (See "Man Hurt When Struck by Auto," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 04/05/1930, p. 5.)

A United Airlines passenger manifest of 03/10/1957 fro Flight #6302C, indicated that a "Victor Vorheis" and a "Beatrice Vorheis" arrived in San Francisco, CA, from Honolulu, HI. This may or may not have been the architect. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels and Airplanes Arriving At Honolulu, Hawaii, Compiled 01/1954 - 12/1981; NAI Number: A3571; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787 - 2004; Record Group Number: RG 85, accessed 07/13/2023.)

SSN: 539-34-5989.

• Cambria, WI (Architect's Birth)
  Cambria, WI

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• Santa Barbara, CA (Architect's Death)
  Santa Barbara, CA

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