Western Home Builder

House Plans by Victor W. Voorhees of Seattle

One of the Pacific Northwest's most versatile and prolific architects was relatively unschooled, but managed nevertheless over his long career to design and oversee construction of hundreds of homes, apartment buildings, hotels, and a variety of commercial buildings.

According to a variety of write ups done by the city of Seattle, Voorhees emigrated from the Midwest in 1904 to work in the building department of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway Line. He lost no time developing house plans that he published from at least 1907 to 1911 in his very popular catalogs titled Western Home Builder. The city estimates that hundreds "—possibly thousands—" of homes in Seattle and the surrounding area were built using his plans. Examples can be found throughout the city, but especially on Wallingford, Queen Anne Hill and Capitol Hill.

Such was Voorhees native talent and business acumen, he had no difficulty securing ever larger projects as the years went by including a number of commissions by Seattle lumber and developer, Joseph Vance.

Voorhees practiced in Seattle until his retirement in 1955 and died in Santa Barbara on August 10, 1970.

Personal and family

Victor Wilber Voorhees (noted on his house plan catalog books as V. W. Voorhees) was born in Columbia county Wisconsin May 4, 1876 to Victor and Violetta (Irons) Voorhees.

There is compelling evidence that he was married first to Antoinette Amelia Blackmarr in about 1899. They appear in the 1900 census and gives his occupation as real estate and loan agent. By 1905, with that marriage dissolved, Victor headed west and Antoinette, saddled with two toddlers (Frank Ellis b. 1903 and Virginia b. 1901) moved back in with her parents. From 1910 on, she claimed a marital status of widow ... not divorcée. In 1930, Frank was living in Seattle at the time of the 1930 census and working as a draftsman ... possibly for his father indicating that there had been some family reconciliation.

V. W. Voorhees married to Phoebe Bell Peters in British Columbia in October 1905. By 1920, their household consisted of Victor and Phoebe and Phoebe's grandmother, Armina Peters. They never had any children.

Sources

1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 US Censuses
Social Security Death Index
WWI Draft Registrations

1908

Bibliography

Western Home Builder

House Plans by Victor W. Voorhees of Seattle

Personal and family

Sources