Seattle has its own Rosebud Motel—a small-scale homage to the beloved show Schitt’s Creek. In the Queen Anne neighborhood, near the intersection of 10th Avenue West and West Bothwell Street, resident Richard Knowles built a miniature version of the show’s famous motel.
Some backstory, if you haven’t watched Schitt’s Creek:
- You definitely should watch it. It’s a great way to pass the pandemic winter.
- A spoiler-free synopsis: Schitt’s Creek is an Emmy-winning comedy series about the Rose family. They lose their fortune and move into the Rosebud Motel, set in a backwoods town named Schitt’s Creek.
Richard Knowles loves the show, of course. He built a half-size version of the motel’s facade to prove it. Or rather, he’s still building it. Knowles keeps making his Rosebud Motel more and more true-to-show. It’s already impressive with tiny chairs, a half-size mailbox, foam blocks and faux roof tiles. He even painted plywood like bricks as an exact replica—down to each haphazard color.
“I was just bored with the whole COVID thing,” Knowles told The Seattle Times. “It’s something to do, really. I’ve always been kind of artsy. It just worked out.”
This isn’t Knowles’ first motel. For the past few Halloweens, he’s transformed his front yard into the Bates Motel from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. His mini Bates Motel was a neighborhood hit, and with extra time on his hands during the pandemic, Knowles figured he could remodel the motel and host the Rose family, much to the delight of his community.
Before Christmas, Knowles estimated about 200 groups per day stopped by to visit. The motel won’t stay up much longer, but he expects he’ll bring it back next winter. The hard work of recreating every minute detail is already done—so why not show it off in 2021–2022, too?
