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.)

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.)

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.)

Architect, Voorhees and 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)

He then occupied various offices in the Lloyd Building from 1927-1941. In 1931, his office was in Room #1007 of the Lloyd Building. (See Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1931, p. 1724.) 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.)

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.)

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 family address was given as 2302 East 25th Street in 1898. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1898, p. 1251.)

The U.S. Census of 1900 indicated that Voorhees and his wife, Antoinette, lived at 2639 13th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, where he worked as a real estate and loan agent. (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.) Voorhees had a dwelling at 2531 Harriet Avenue in 1902. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1902, p. 1528.) He resided at 906 Kenwood Parkway in Minneapolis in 1903. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1903, p. 1639.)

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.

In 1959, Voorhees lived with his fourth wife, Amelia, at 409 Calle Granada, Santa Barbara, CA. (See Santa Barbara, California, City Directory, 1959, p. 543.)

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

Parents

His father was Victor W. 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. 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.)

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.)

Violetta worked in the home. Victor. Sr., raising their two children, Victor, Jr., and Blanche Grace Voorhees, (born 08/01/1877 in Cambria, WI). Blanche attended the University of Minnesota in 1898. (See Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory, 1898, p. 1251.)

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. He had a son with her in 1902, but seems to have parted ways with her in about 1904. 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.) Her parents both came from OH. Phoebe 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 1914-1962). Prior to marrying Voorhees before 1940, she wed Lowell W. Hewitt on 01/30/1930 In Spokane, WA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Reference Number: easpmca43366, accessed 07/31/2019.)

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

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.)

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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