Written by Skye
Last semester, we took a field trip to the Roedde House Museum. Among the modern buildings around, this house stands out. It was built with an asymmetrical exterior in 1893 by Francis Rattenbury, which shows a late Victorian style. It was once a rooming house of the Roedde family and is now a heritage building and a museum. All the indoor furniture is well preserved. Walking through the rooms, I could almost feel how the family once lived there over 100 years ago.
Our journey began in the parlour room, built into a shape close to a circle that helps to reflect heat and preserve warmth. A stereoscope on the table creates a 3D view when you look through it, like an early version of today’s VR headset. Walking inside, we saw Mr. and Mrs. Roedde’s bedroom. The room is mainly decorated in pink and white. The volunteer held a cup with a pink flower pattern and explained that red was traditionally used to represent man’s masculinity. In the kitchen, a cloth sugar bag with cutting instructions printed on it attracted my eyes. During World War II, people were using bags of sugar to make cloth due to resource shortages.
Stepping into the second floor, we saw the bedroom of Anna. Mr. and Mrs. Roedde had two daughters, both named Anna. Sadly, the first Anna passed away at a very young age due to poisoned berries. In memory of their first daughter, they also named their second daughter after Anna. Anna grew up safely and became a nurse at Vancouver General Hospital. Unfortunately, a patient with mental illness killed her while she was on duty. Since then, no one in the family has named Anna. Standing in that room, I can feel the joys and sorrows of the people who used to live there.
As we walked through the house, the volunteer described a vivid view from outside the window as it once was. She told us about a time when just a few low-rise buildings were in the area. Following her words, I looked past the windows. I started to imagine no buildings were blocking my view, and a large field was in front of me.
The city is changing, but the time of the Roedde House seems frozen. It is a great place that tells the story of the Roedde family and reflects the lifestyle of Vancouver’s citizens around 1900.