Written by Lan Xu 2022 Cohort
Can you imagine a museum hiding among blocks of apartments in the West End of Vancouver? Many of its neighbours pass by daily without knowing precisely what’s inside. However, looking closely, you will be surprised about its history.
About a century ago, Gustav Roedde moved to Vancouver with his family. As the first bookbinder of Vancouver, he was successful enough to build this house with the help of architect Francis Rattenbury, who was notable for the Legislative Buildings and Empress Hotel in Victoria.
Entering the house, you’ll see an English longcase clock lying in the corner. Built-in 1775, it’s one of the oldest working indoor clocks available for public viewing in Canada, and it’s even older than the house itself. Step into the parlour; there is a stereoscope on the table, creating a three-dimensional image when looking through. It was very sci-fi at the moment and represented an entertainment device for the middle class.
In the dining room, you’ll find a portrait of Queen Victoria drawn by one of the Roedde children, indicating the time when this house was built — during Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901. Next to it is the master bedroom, with a closet that can be opened from both sides, which was very rare and creative back then.
A den is where Mr. Roedde spent time chilling and sometimes working from home. Instead of sewing, the sewing machine was used to bind bows. On the wall hangs two deer heads and the hunting booties of Mr. Roedde. The kitchen holds all kinds of utilities, including the bread maker, potato masher, butter tin, and eggbeaters. Meanwhile, there is an old telephone machine, and people used to share phone lines.
Going upstairs, the small back staircase would have been used by Hung, the domestic servant of the Roedde family. As a matter of fact, Chinese servants were very popular among middle and upper-class families. In the boys’ room, there are some wool swimsuits that people used to wear, not very functional compared to what we wear today.
That’s not the whole picture of this house, yet it’s a peak at the past. The house is a treasure waiting to be discovered — not just by subsequent generations of tourists but by many of its residents in the neighbourhood.