Front Hall - Kitchen Dining Room - Bedroom Den - Activities

The black iron coal scuttle was made in the United States, circa 1890. We use oil furnaces or electricity to heat our homes today, but coal was the primary energy source a century ago. Unfortunately, the pollution from burning coal and coal oils was very unpleasant and very unhealthy.

On wet winter nights, middle-class families in Vancouver would gather around their pianos, an instrument that no home could be without. The piano in the parlour today isn't the same one that was here when the Roedde family lived in the house, but it's similar to what they would have owned. The cute little piano stool is typical of the Victorian style and could be adjusted in height by rotating the cushion. Benches weren't as common as they are today. Gwen Varcoe, G.A. Roedde's granddaughter, remembers spending many long hours sitting on such a stool, as she practiced on the family's Heintzmann upright piano. Popular songs of the day included "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and Irving Berlin's "Oh, You Beautiful Doll." The sheet music for these songs could be purchased at Woodward's or Spencer's department stores.

The Sewing Basket, was probably made in North America, sometime between 1910 and 1925. The macrame-made carpet is an Axminster, done in the Persian and Turkish style that was considered good quality during the period in which the Roedde House was built. Because carpets like this were made so well, vintage ones are still desirable today. The fan is Japanese lacquer and embroidered silk. At the turn-of-the-century people had a great fascination with oriental art.