Written by Lindsay Wang 2022 Cohort
We visited the beautiful heritage home last week, Roedde house museum, in Vancouver’s West End to celebrate Halloween. The astonishing Victorian architecture was designed by famed architect Francis Rattenbury and had a symmetrical exterior and decorative interior style. The Roedde family had this house built in 1893, with towers, balconies, chimneys, and a large bay window, and it provided a perfect place for family life and social gatherings. I love how the family decorated the interior (during the late Victorian age) with floral and hand-painted wallpaper and artistic and carved furnishings. The symmetric style and the repetition of the Victorian architectural style reminded me of the Baroque style, which was my favourite during my architectural studies and still is.
The space that impressed me most was the kitchen. From the first moment I stepped in, I realized that there were pairs of socks hanging on my head, and I thought it was a Halloween trick. After that, I saw many utensils from the late 19’s, and they are surprisingly just like the ones people use nowadays, but without electricity. Then, the tour guide told us that people in this era usually did their laundry in the kitchen because the cooking heat would dry the clothes more quickly. This is why I saw some pairs of socks in the kitchen.
Also, I was moved by the story of Roedde’s second youngest daughter Anna Catherine. She bravely decided to be a nurse at Vancouver General Hospital in 1925. During WWI, many pioneering nurses like her were essential in backing up the front line. However, unfortunately, Anna generously volunteered to take another co-worker’s shift, and a patient with a mental illness attacked her with a scalpel. She was only 28 years old when the tragic event happened. I also heard about many family conflicts between the father and sons because of different political opinions. Gustav came from Germany, and Germany and Canada were enemies during WWI. However, his sons grew up in Canada and decided to join the allies and temporarily lost contact with their family.
By listening to these impressive stories and walking around the magnificent house, I was left shocked and amazed simultaneously. I advise our readers to visit this heritage house around Halloween or fall.