Roedde House Museum (West End)

I am the kind of guy who enjoys being a tourist in his own city. I’m also a seeker of all things non-conventional. So I always swooned when I walked by Roedde House Museum and had never given myself the opportunity to enter. Despite the fact that I’ve lived in Vancouver for more than a decade, and that many of my close friends live in the West End, I never stopped by Roedde House Museum. Until last week. My good friend JT and I decided to take one full day off work and explore our city (unfortunately, it was raining). The first thing I wanted to do was to visit the museums we had never seen (despite our efforts to go and visit places that are unique).

We had never tried the Roedde House Museum). So off we went. I was particularly taken by the fact that Roedde House Museum is located in a street with a row of very pretty antique houses (on Barclay Street, the Barclay Heritage Square in the West End).

What is Roedde House Museum, in their own words (from the brochure)

This handsome Queen Anne Revival home in Vancouver’s West End, was built in 1893 for Gustav and Matilda Roedde, German pioneer immigrants. Gustav Roedde established Vancouver’s first book-binding and printing company, which became a flourishing business.

Built at a time when city boundaries moved westward towards Stanley Park and English Bay, the Roedde home was considered ‘modest’ compared to some West End mansions but it accommodated a large family, as well as Mr. Roedde’s beloved St. Bernard dogs, until 1925

Entering into the Roedde House Museum, you feel transported back to the 1893 era. The house has been very nicely restored by the Roedde House Preservation Society. JT and I were given a tour (and on Sundays you can do afternoon tea and cookies, along with the tour). Located at 1415 Barclay Street, Roedde House Museum is central to the Barclay Heritage Square, which contains eight other houses dating from 1890 to 1908, as well as a lovely Victorian-style gazebo (and gardens). I’ve had dessert and tea in those gardens a couple of times this year.

You can see the rest of my Flickr photo set here.