See 333 Westlake Ave N. [Pande Cameron Building – Durant-Star Co./Dunn Motors Showroom] for Westlake Avenue N. – Historic Context Statement.
This building is directly associated with 1920s era auto-row developmental history of Westlake Avenue. Built for Green Nash Corporation as a used car showroom, which opened in April 1927 (Seattle Times 4-24-27, pg.38). The principal Nash Motors Co. dealership was located at 500 East Pike St. The building permit (#265148) was issued 3-25-1927 and indicated that the construction cost for this store building was $5000.
The building was designed by Victor Voorhees – DPD microfilm permit drawing records indicate that it was Voorhees’ design no. 3059. He appears to have prepared 8 sheets of drawings that were dated 10 Mar 27.
Nash Motors Co. relocated its used car showroom to 107 Westlake in March 1930 and the building was subsequently used by Durant Motors (which owned the adjacent building at 333 Westlake Avenue) until c. 1937. It appears to have been briefly used by Palmer Electric co. in 1937 and then became the offices of the Washington State Patrol until 1948. From 1948 until 1958 it housed the R.D. Hurst Flooring Co., which was one of numerous construction related retail and wholesale businesses located in the South Lake Union area during this era. It functioned as a Salvation Army antique store by c. 1970. An addition was made to the rear of the building in 1982.
Biographical information regarding Victor W. Voorhees (May 4, 1876-August 10, 1970): Born in Cambria, Wisconsin; established Fisher & Voorhees in Ballard, August 1904; designed business and apartment buildings in Ballard, 1904, including James Sobey residence, Seattle (1904-5), D. H. Doe residence, Seattle (1904-5); Voorhess is individually credited with the design of hundreds of building projects, 1904 -1929, including cottages, residences, apartment buildings, commercial laundries and garages, industrial buildings and factories, fraternal halls, retail stores, banks and hotels; designed Washington Hall, Seattle (1908), Oak Lake School, Seattle (1914, destroyed), Maxmillian Apartments, Seattle (1918), Vance Hotel (now Hotel Max), Seattle (1927), Troy Laundry, Seattle (1927), Vance Building, Seattle (1929); advertised the sale of house plans and a book of house, cottage and bungalow plans, 1907; published Western Home Builder (by 1911 in 7th edition); supervising architect for Willeys-Overland Company designing automobile showrooms and garages, Seattle and Spokane, after 1917; listed as an architect in Seattle City Directories until 1957; died in Santa Barbara, California. [Shaping Seattle Architecture, UW Press 2014]
