Come in, come in. Gustav Roedde won't mind us being here.  This is the room that he kept for himself. This room is not completely restored yet, but I can tell you a few things about it. 

In Victorian Housing, the den, or study, was usually reserved for the gentleman of the household. It provided an area of solitude and private retreat. In some cases, this type of room would have been off limits to other members of the family, especially young children. Following this Victorian tradition, this den was the centre of Mr. Roedde's interests. He enjoyed many things, but the most fascinating was his love of opera. He would play opera music on his gramophone, while often smoking his pipe. If you haven't listened to any opera before, I suggest you give it a try! It has been rumored that Mr. Roedde played a certain opera piece to let other people in the house know that he would not mind visitors. You heard the music before you came in, didn't you?

A St. Bernard

Gustav Roedde had pets, but not just any pets - these were lovely St. Bernard dogs. This room was the only area in the house the three large dogs were allowed to visit. Mr. Roedde would let them in through the side door so he could play with them and enjoy their company. He also washed them in this area of the house in a large tin tub. Can you imagine washing three large St. Bernard dogs in here? That would have been an adventure! Unfortunately, the names of the dogs are not known today, however, when they passed away, Mr. Roedde buried them in the backyard garden, under all of the wonderful flowers that bloomed in the spring and summer.

There are only a few artifacts that might have been original to this room. A large desk would have provided Mr. Roedde with a good working space. Here, he might have done paper work or written a letter. On the desk is an example of a bound book from Gustav Roedde's bookbindery. If you open the cover and look at the inside panel you will see an example of marbling. Marbling is a highly skilled craft that creates the appearance of marble on paper, by means of oil paint, or other media. Doesn't it look just like a rock or the side of a cut stone?

Marbling was one of Mr. Roedde's specialties. The marbling technique was quite common as decoration on the inside covers of books, during that era. Unlike today, binding books for personal use was quite popular. Individuals would often have personal papers and documents, such as journals and diaries, specially bound. Mr. Roedde used to bind all of his National Geographic magazines in special covers so that he could keep them organized.

The mirrored coat stand with its hooks, is something that Mr. Roedde might have had in this room to hang up his coat and hat when he came in from the back garden. The rack is made out of oak, and is of a very simple design.

Small Lap Desk

Today, this room is also used as an archive and display room. In it, you will see the display cases, which feature artifacts belonging to the Roedde family. The displays feature photographs of the family, as well as special items such as small delicate decorated eggs that Gustav Roedde made for his children as gifts.

There is a whole lot more to the Roedde House than just the people who lived here. This house makes us reflect on where we came from, how we got to where we are today, and where we are heading in the future. This house is a symbol of what we should be doing to preserve our past. The Roedde House is not just a house, for it contains a collective memory and a reminder of how British Columbia was built with hard work.

An example of Gustav Roedde's work.