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For more information, call (208) 243-5003.

Residence and Property Description

Residence:

• Single family, 2 ½ story home built in 1931 with large addition in 1950
• 11 rooms:  5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths
• Living space:  ~ 4,500 sq. ft.
• Loft:  ~500 sq. ft.
• Basement:  ~1,800 sq. ft.
• Attached 2 car garage
• Features:  Large rooms; 4 fireplaces; original mahogany French doors; hardwood floors throughout; high-quality original wood trim, crown molding throughout; walk-in closets; built-in shelving; storm windows and doors; steam heating with recently installed, energy-efficient gas boiler; many original design elements, such as glass doorknobs, wall sconces, and ceiling lights; new appliances – dishwasher, double ovens, and stove-top;  new 30-year roof; newly renovated and painted exterior

Property:

• Site Area:  1.13 Acres
• Features: Landscaped yard, mature trees and shrubs, circular driveway, partially fenced, full sprinkler system, modern exterior lighting, 12’x 20’ storage shed, patio, covered front and back porches

History of the House

The current residence was completed in 1931 by K.D. Rose as a wedding present for his wife, Elizabeth Holden Rose.  Mrs. Rose visited us here in 1993 and again in 1995.  During the many hours that she was here, Mrs. Rose shared a good bit history about the house, the yard, and the Rose family.  This is what she had to tell us.

K.D. Rose was first married to a daughter of one of the Rogers brothers who founded the Rogers Brothers Seed Company in 1876 in Chaumont, New York.  Mr. Rose came with the company to Idaho Falls to establish a pea seed production program in 1916.  His first wife subsequently died and K.D. married Elizabeth Holden.

Mr. and Mrs. Rose were both quite active in the community.  In addition to serving as President of the Rogers Brothers Seed Company, Mr. Rose was President of the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce in 1932 and was Chairman of the committee representing Idaho Falls in the site selection process for the National Reactor Testing Station (now known as the Idaho National Laboratory) in 1949.  According to Mrs. Rose, K.D. was also involved in the early development of Pinecrest Golf Course in Idaho Falls.

Mrs. Elizabeth Rose is greeted by Mr. Thant Myint-U, grandson
of U Thant, during her visit to United Nations University for the
dedication of the Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall in 2000.

Mrs. Rose was an avid gardener and told us that she did all of the landscape design and much of the planting on the ten acres.  She also raised prize winning show horses.  Mrs. Rose and two of her horses are mentioned in a 1932 Deseret News article, “Ogden Horse Show Boasts Fine Stock.”  While Mrs. Rose was active in local civic affairs, her most notable accomplishment was her role in the establishment of the United Nations University (UNU) in Japan.  In 1977, the Emperor of Japan awarded Mrs. Rose the nation's second-highest honor, the Order of the Precious Crown, in recognition of her contributions leading to the establishment of the UNU.  

When it was built in 1931, the house sat on ten acres and was known locally as “Rose Acres,” and long-time residents of our area still refer to our home as “Rose Mansion.”  The property extended south and west to Rose Hill Cemetery.  Mr. Rose insisted that the house be painted red, as it still is today.

A small farmhouse of lava rock construction was originally on property.  The current residence incorporates three walls from the older structure, believed to have been built around 1870.  Two other relics from the old farmhouse include the leaded glass china cabinet in the kitchen nook and the beveled glass front door which now separates the kitchen and pantry. 

Because the house was built during the Depression, Mrs. Rose said that carpenters lined up every day, hoping for work.  A cabinet maker was subsequently hired for each room in the house, a fact clearly visible in the fine woodworking throughout the home. 

A large, two story addition was added to the home in 1950 to accommodate the oldest sons.  One wall of the family room in this addition is made entirely from large stones.

Mrs. Rose telling us about the sconces she

purchased from an antique store

in Ithaca, New York.

The house was decorated with “antiques from all over the country.”  The heating system was the first vapor vacuum system “west of the Mississippi,” and was installed by an engineer sent out from Cincinnati by Trane.  Helen Aupperle, one of the founders of the Idaho Falls Art Council, created the stained glass window in the main entryway.

According to Mrs. Rose, they employed six house and yard “helpers,” because they did so much entertaining - on one occasion hosting an outdoor dance and dinner for 400 guests. When Mr. Rose had the automated dishwasher (the first in Idaho Falls) installed, Mrs. Rose said she fussed, “I have six dishwashers already!” 

One of these helpers, Elizabeth “Beth” Ellsworth Madsen, accompanied Mrs. Rose during her visit here in 1993.  Mrs. Madsen smiled when she told me that once, Mrs. Rose made her wear a uniform when they were entertaining some dignitaries from Washington, D.C. 

When we asked Mrs. Rose about the living quarters in the basement, she told us that originally some of the helpers lived in the basement.  The Rose Family communicated with them with a system of buzzers installed throughout the house that rang into the basement.  (Just like Downton Abbey!)  Mrs. Rose had especially fond memories of one full-time housekeeper – a Scandinavian immigrant - who lived in the basement. She said that while this young woman was “very prudent about her dates,” she had a habit of “running about the house in nothing but a towel.”  The only problem with that was the housekeeper “couldn’t decide which side to cover, the front or the back:”

In addition to the gardener’s shed which still stands today, the original ten acres included, a horse stable and riding area for Mrs. Roses’ show horses.  During the summer months, the full-time gardener lived in the shed. 

Because of her love of gardening and the family’s connection to the agricultural/horticultural industry, Mrs. Rose said she planted hundreds of evergreens and 1,000 daffodils on the original ten acres.  The large lilac bushes that now line the driveway all came from one lilac bush that she separated and planted.  She also had a large bed of 50 peonies which she said she fed bone meal and “they grew like mad!”  According to Mrs. Rose, locals frequently came by and cut flowers from the yard for their weddings.

Perhaps the sweetest moment of our visits with Mrs. Rose came when we told her that we still had the custom front door mat bearing the name “K.D. Rose.”  When we showed her, she was thrilled and asked us to take her picture with it.  Mrs. Madsen’s eyes filled with tears when she saw it because, she said, it made her miss Mr. Rose.

Mrs. Rose was thrilled to find her late
husband's doormat still in use!

Now we miss Mrs. Rose as well.  She died May 8, 2006 at the age of 104.  She was a great lady who created a wonderful home and we were truly blessed to know her and share this historic home.

Architectural Features and Design Elements

One of the things that makes this wonderful, old home so special is the fact that so many of the original architectural features and design elements remain intact throughout the structures.  This is largely due to the fact that we are only the fourth family to own this property!  K.D. Rose and his wife, Elizabeth, built the house in 1931. Transfers of the property occurred first to the Marcon Family in 1956, then to the Freund Family in 1966, and finally to us, the Barnes Family, in 1992.  Over the years, we've enjoyed meeting many of the family members and friends of previous owners and hearing their stories about the house and the many features that make it unique. 

One of the features we especially like in the house is the hardwood floors - oak and pecan - throughout.

Pecan floor detail

Oak floor detail

Original oak parquet floor in the library

Besides the floors, there are many other original wood features throughout the house.  The library has sugar pine paneling and built-in, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on three of the walls.

Three sets of mahogany french doors grace the entrances to the dining room and living room.

Mahogany doors hang along the main hallway

Original glass doorknobs are on many of the doors throughout the house. 

Detail of mahogany door with glass doorknob, sugar pine paneling in the background

 Many other painted wood details add interest and character to the interior.

This stained glass window, created by 

Idaho Falls Art Guild founder, Helen Auperle, is a striking feature in the main back entryway.

Nine-foot ceilings on the main floor provide a dramatic setting for original decorative features throughout the house.

In the family room, hand-hewn wooden beams complement the large, rock wall and wormy-pine paneling.  According to Mrs. Rose, the beams were taken from the Officer's Club at Farragut Naval Station in northern Idaho.

Many of the original wall sconces installed by Mrs. Rose are in place throughout the house.

 This is one of four original sconces still in the living room.  These sconces were purchased by Mrs. Rose in 1931 from an antique shop in Ithaca, New York.

These are just some of wonderful features that 

make this house unique!

Renovation & Improvements

Exterior Renovation

In 2010, we began a complete renovation of the exterior of the house.  The first step was the installation of a new roof by Wright Roofing and fabrication of new storm windows where needed.  The new windows were constructed by Tim Stoddard, a well-known Idaho Falls woodworker, who also made several of the interior features we have added over the years.  (See Interior Improvements below.)

The next step in the process was to remove the original cedar lapboard siding from the western facing wall where weathering was most severe.  These were sanded down to the wood, primed, painted, and re-installed.  All but the north facing wall were stripped down to the wood with a heat gun.  The most weather pieces were replaced with siding harvested from a wall that was covered when the 1950 addition took place.

The shutters and remaining storm windows were also removed and sanded down to the wood before painting.  Exterior molding that was badly weathered was replaced.

The paint we used was Duration, a Sherwin-Williams product guaranteed for thirty years.  The color we chose was Crabby Apple to match the original color of the house.  We also refurbished the garden shed with a new roof and new paint to match the house.

The front porch was rebuilt before painting to ensure structural integrity.  One column on the front porch was damaged and a new one is currently being fabricated by a firm in Salt Lake City.

In 2012, we hired All American Yards to install landscaping in the front and side yards.

Then it was time for the unveiling so we took out THE HEDGE!    As you can imagine, it was a tremendous task to take out the 12 foot high row of 80 year old Juniper bushes running across virtually the entire 200 foot frontage.

We rented a backhoe, borrowed a trailer, and hired a half dozen helpers and managed to get it out in only 24 hours...but it was a long day!

Removing the hedge caused quite a stir in the community.  Everyone was excited to finally be able to see the house.


Interior Improvements

Our priority when adding improvements to the interior of the house was to update the facilities while maintaining the period feel of the space.  The bathroom on the main floor was our first project.  We installed a tile floor and counter-top that coordinated with the existing tile and added a wooden vanity to match the sugar pine paneling in the adjacent hallway.

After removing the carpet to reveal the hardwood floors, we installed custom-made, wall-to-wall cabinets with lighted, glass-front shelves and a window seat across one wall in the living room.  These cabinets, as well as the bathroom vanity were designed, constructed, and installed by Tim Stoddard.

In 2005, we replaced the orginal steam boiler for the heating system with a new energy-efficient, Weil-McLain gas-fired boiler.  The installation and maintenance of the boiler was provided by Rocky Mountain Boiler.

In recent years, we have also installed several new, major appliances, including: two side-by-side Fridgidaire Gallery stainless steel electric ovens with both normal and convection heating; an electric/gas LG washer and dryer; and a Kenmore stainless steel under-counter dishwasher.

Seasons in the Yard

Spring...

Apple trees

The yard comes alive with blooming trees.

Apricot tree

Crab apple trees

Lilac bushes

Summer...

Lots of yard to enjoy!

The Fourth of July Parade rolls by!

The Catalpa tree and the Beauty Bush bring summer blossoms to the yard.

Winter