He attended Lehigh University before working as chief draftsman for the firm A. Warren Gould of Boston.

In 1905 Gould decided to move to Seattle for more work which prompted Borhek to follow.

[1] Two years after moving to Seattle, Borhek decided to settle in Tacoma, Washington, and joined the architectural firm of Heath and Twitchell where he was credited for helping design the National Realty Building and the First Church of Christ Scientists.

[2][3] His Auditorium Dance Hall, constructed in 1921 received high reviews from the Tacoma Daily Ledger.

[2] Borhek also designed the Jason Lee Middle School in 1924, for which he won an award from the American Institute of Architects.