trademark of the Cambern brothers of Spokane in their retail bakery and dairy product outlets, these windmills are some of the best examples of novelty commercial architecture in Spokane today. A total of 13 of these
, complete with windmill, were designed for the brothers by Charles Wood, at one time employed with the well known architectural firm of Kirtland Cutter. This, one of only three remaining, was built in 1929 and has somehow managed to survive, while most of the others, one by one, have disappeared. Of the three that remain, this is the best preserved and the best known.
The Cambern Dutch Shop Windmill is a small commercial structure designed to evoke the form and character of a Dutch windmill. The shop is sited at a prominent intersection in a residential neighborhood on the south side of Spokane. Although residential in scale, the unusual form of the building is a striking architectural novelty in a neighborhood otherwise characterized by bungalows and cottages.
Historical Background
The windmill shop was a reflection of the expansion of the
wholesale bakery and dairy established in Spokane in 1924 by the Cambern brothers. J. Robert and Cecil M. Cambern were raised on their family's wheat and dairy farm north of Spokane near Colbert, Washington. After leaving the farm, Cecil worked in a bakery and Robert worked in the Sperry Flour Mill, both learning skills they would use later in their own business.
In 1924, the brothers pooled their money and bought out the Ken McWilliams Bakery on North Ash Street in Spokane. Within five years, the brothers also owned a wholesale bakery on West Augusta, an ice cream plant on North Wall, and a dairy plant in Spokane, marketing
products to independent grocers. The size of the firm required the brothers to employ family members in every capacity from corporate officers to drivers, bakers, clerks, and bookkeepers.
As the business prospered, the Cambern brothers decided to market directly to consumers. They retained local architect Charles Wood to design a unique retail shop that would both symbolize the wholesomeness of their products and reflect their familiar "Dutch Main" trademark. Wood, who previously had been employed by Kirtland Cutter and had designed the Charles Smith House (National Register, 1985), designed 13 windmills for the Camberns, of which at least nine were built in the city's residential areas. The retail shops were located at S. 307 Cedar, W. 831 Garland, S. 1318 Grand, N. 1818 Hamilton, N. 126 Howard, N. 5112 Market, W. 401 Sprague, and W. 1627 First, in addition to the nominated shop, located at 1102 Sperry. Under the Dutch Main label, the shops sold dairy products, breads, and 150 varieties of pastries. Symbols of Dutch culture, including windmills and Dutch girls, were used in all the shops' advertisements.
From the NRHP Nomination Form