These are photographs I’ve scanned from the Seattle Architectural Digest magazine article that I mentioned in my Rose Suite post. They show the remnants of Rose Red that TechStar was able to salvage after the damage from the falling stones, before they demolished the building. These remnants are what panel and decorate the Rose Suites and a few elements elsewhere in the TechStar condo complex today.

The size of my scanner didn’t allow me to catch the whole text for you so perhaps when I have a little more time I’ll transcribe it for you. But for now, here are the pictures of remains of Rose Red, and I’ll caption them for you.

ABOVE: This is wainscoting much like can be seen in my Rose Suite gallery. Wainscoting like this was rescued from individual rooms and hallways, and mostly used in the Rose Suites as a special feature. This particular piece was in remarkable condition. According to the article one of the largest challenges was finding large enough pieces they could use to panel entire rooms in the Suites because so few were this large – most were damaged in the middle or otherwise had to be cut down and pieced together, or required much restoration work.

ABOVE: This is a photograph of a door lying on its side. It was likely a servant’s exit, closet, or pantry door, due to its simple nature. You can see the join in the center where they shored up a crack in the middle, and are in the process of restoring it match the rest of the wood’s color with trompe-l’œil effects. In addition to restoration experts and handy carpenters, they had a team of artists working to preserve the beauty of the pieces they salvaged. It was quite an operation!

ABOVE: This is more wainscoting, only on its side. It goes to show how small some of the pieces they salvaged were. You’ll note the damage to the upper left corner. Much of what they were able to take was like this, requiring new pieces of wood to complete the aesthetic, and then had to be pieced together to lengths sufficient to panel whole rooms in the Suites, like my den.

ABOVE: Some more wainscoting. I admit I’m partial to photos of this because these were how the wainscoting in my Suite came about! It’s a fascinating process and it boggles my mind how many workers TechStar had to employ to work virtually day and night to “fast track” the condo complex when all this detail went into the four Suites. (The article says that they employed 34 skilled craftsmen, artists, antique experts, and architectural salvage experts to complete the Suites.)

ABOVE: These are small wainscoting and panels that they were able to salvage from some of the more heavily damaged rooms. They’re quite small and mis-matched so the article said these pieces were difficult to work into the design of the Suites and in fact were used in small flourishes in the condo’s entrance hall. Some were scrapped altogether and remain in a TechStar storage unit. Ditto with the photo below.

ABOVE: This is a display of metal elements from the house which were rusted during the house’s neglected period from when the tours ended in the early 70s to its destruction. They were on the walls and ceilings of bathrooms, primarily. TechStar took them because they could, but didn’t have much hope of using them in their final designs. This photo, according to the article, was set up for an inventory display and there are in fact many other tin “tiles” stacked on pallets nearby – you can just catch a glimpse at the extreme left of the photo.

However, since the writing of the article TechStar was able to clean up one beautiful set, give them a fresh coat of paint, and use them as a ceiling ornament/paneling over a stairwell leading from the first floor in the foyer to the second floor where there are common rooms. I took a picture myself. The angle is slightly strange because it’s looking up at an inclined ceiling from the stairwell.

There are not many elements of Rose Red that exist outside the Rose Suites; TechStar didn’t want to devalue the Rose Suites – they knew the appeal would be that Rose Red enthusiasts would be drawn to live in a place surrounded by Rose Red salvage. But here and there they did add in touches that served as an homage to the Rimbauer mansion in the complex’s common areas.

ABOVE: This is where the magic happened. TechStar rented a large space to house and restore all the elements they were able to save. You can see paneling and flooring (one of the Rose Suites has original hardwood floors from the house) being laid out and fixed, piece by puzzle piece, and what appears to be a window piece that I’ve not seen yet (it could be they didn’t use it, perhaps its structural integrity wouldn’t hold).

ABOVE: Here’s an ornamental plaster piece from one of the ceilings, which were beautifully molded in their day. This hangs over the fireplace in another Rose Suite.

ABOVE: This is an architectural salvage warehouse where only a couple pieces from Rose Red were stored during the complex’s construction. The bathtub with the overhanging shower fixture (towards the left of the photo) came from one of the guest room private baths. The staircase is part of a servant’s stairway from the rear of the house. Opposite the railing was a wall, which is why it’s only “half” a stair. According to the article the other tubs and the stove fixture here were from elsewhere in the greater Seattle area. (Those elements are not in the complex.)

ABOVE: I love this. These are wooden spindles salvaged from stairwells and railings throughout the house. They’re not actually used anywhere in the complex, more’s the pity – perhaps because they had a hard time finding more than two of any given spindle, which makes for awkward design. They’re in storage too, and I hope someday they’ll find a creative use for them. There are quite a few of the taller mahogany spindles…someday when I have oodles of spare cash I’m going to ask TechStar if I can buy four and have a carpenter make a four-post canopy bed! (Anybody have any ideas for using the rest? Post your comments, I could always send a letter to TechStar!)

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