Collection Spotlight: “Like walking into a pond” Childhood memories from our mother’s Iris Bathroom

The Iris Bathroom installation, located in MAACM’s 4th-floor tile gallery, includes nearly twelve hundred Grueby Faience tiles depicting long-stemmed irises, reeds, water and pond lilies, and provides visitors a glimpse into what was once a private bathroom in a stately residence known as Northacre, located in Bratenahl, Ohio. Many who visit wonder what it would be like to have this charming room in their home. According to a recent visitor with firsthand experience, it was “like walking into a pond.”

It is rare to meet the people who lived with the objects in MAACM’s galleries, but this past January we had that opportunity when the four daughters of the late Stanley and Rita Roediger--the third and longest occupants of Northacre--visited MAACM to see the Iris Bathroom, which was once their mother’s private bath.

Northacre was built in 1900 for Oliver Clay, a successful businessman, and his wife, Ina. Between 1913-1916 renovations to the house included installing a private bath in Ina’s dressing room. Working closely with the homeowners and their contractor, Grueby Faience’s artistic director, Addison B. LeBoutillier, designed the elegant and cozy oasis, which, despite multiple owners, remained unchanged for nearly nine decades.

In 1950, the Roediger’s purchased Northacre, raising six children and calling it home for 44 years. In that time, the home served as the elegant backdrop for countless weddings and Christmas parties that made the local society pages, but to the children it was simply their family home.

Barbara, Charla, Ruth, and Mary Kay told us of a magical childhood, rich with memories of epic hide-and-seek games, using fishing poles to lower ornaments from the second-floor balcony onto their 25-foot-tall Christmas tree, and riding a quirky, uncooperative pet pony named Skippy. They were largely unaware of their home’s grandeur, but they knew the Iris Bathroom was special. And while the room was officially their mom’s, everyone used it. It was the Iris Bathroom where the children looked for imaginary frogs amongst the lily pads, where the girls had their Saturday night baths in the deep tub, followed by getting their hair set in pin curls for church Sunday morning, and where they and many other brides dressed for their weddings in the adjoining dressing room.

In 2004, the Two Red Roses Foundation acquired the Iris Bathroom in its entirety from the then current owner. What we see today, with the exception of the mirror and sconces over the sink, is the complete, original interior of this extraordinary room.

When we learn about the artists behind the objects in the TRRF collection, those objects are humanized: we become aware of the person, their background, and perhaps their artistic development. Likewise, learning how an object, such as the Iris Bathroom, was used and by whom expands our appreciation. The object shifts from being decorative and useful to something familiar and personal. The next time you visit MAACM spend some time with the Iris Bathroom and imagine yourself “walking into a pond.”

The Iris Bathroom is located on the 4th Floor Tile Gallery. More about Addison B. LeBoutillier, The Grueby Faience and Tile Company can be found in The Aloha Boathouse and the Iris Bathroom: Two Installations by the Grueby Faience and Tile Company, by Susan Montgomery, also available for $35 in the Museum Store.