Published: June 30, 2008 11:25 am      

Bird’s Eye View switches hands

WAKARUSA, Ind. — Wakarusa artisan and longtime resident Devon Rose, his wife Linda, and several members of the Wakarusa Historical Society gathered in Rose’s basement Saturday to commemorate Rose’s decision to entrust his handcrafted Bird’s Eye View Museum of miniatures to the care of the Society.

With a swift and simple flourish of a pen, Rose’s signature validated a formal letter of intent, followed by the approval from his wife, then by Helen Klein, president of the Board of Directors.

As Rose stood flanked by those who will soon become the new caretakers of his beloved creations, Society member Richard Smith spoke on behalf of the board, expressing gratitude to Rose for not only investing decades of his time and talents to help preserve the historic treasures of Elkhart County, but for allowing the Society to carry on with Rose’s mission.

“This is a fantastic thing for the community of Wakarusa,” Smith said. “This is the ultimate, and a fantastic accomplishment. I can’t imagine how many hours he’s put into making this happen. We’re very fortunate.”

The legacy of the Bird’s Eye View Museum dates back to 1961, when Rose decided to build accessories to complement a toy train set belonging to his two young sons. The small scale buildings and streetscapes are fashioned by ordinary items, including cereal box scraps, popsicle sticks, nylons and toothpicks, to name just a few.

Much of downtown Wakarusa and its surrounding neighborhoods has been painstakingly duplicated, down to the most minute detail, capturing life as it appeared in the 1960s. There are also several elements of the panoramas that feature light, movement and sound, like the tiny barber’s pole that spins outside a former barber shop, a local church that plays hymns upon opening a small entrance door, and a grain elevator that produces authentic working noises.

Over the years, Rose’s large basement has become a showcase for not only the Wakarusa area, but for points of interest across the region, including Foraker, Jimtown, Nappanee and Southwest.

He eventually made it his goal to replicate at least one building from each of the 92 counties in the state of Indiana.

Time and illness have tempered Rose’s physical capabilities somewhat, but neither his passion nor his enthusiasm have waned. His eyes still light up upon showing guests his remarkable works of art. He is hard pressed to remember exactly how many hours he has invested in his work. But Rose can recall some of the intricacies involved in bringing certain landmarks to life, such as when he points to a ornate trim adorning a particular roofline, noting that he was able to break 13 pieces from a single toothpick to achieve the look, “and still have enough toothpick left to throw away,” he grinned. He did say that a few of his structures took months of daily dedication to complete.

Rose’s prominence and recognizance have risen greatly since introducing the public to his livelihood, garnering rave reviews and awards in the process. The museum remains a popular attraction in the same place as it originally began — in the basement of his historic brick home at 325 S. Elkhart St. near downtown Wakarusa.

Now the task of properly preserving Rose’s handiwork falls upon the shoulders of the Wakarusa Historical Society, and it is an endeavor that they are happy and willing to take on.

Because of the sheer volume and magnitude of Rose’s collections, it will now become necessary to erect a new structure in which to house the museum.

So in the coming months, the Board of Directors will be sponsoring fund raisers to help finance the construction of the new building, which will be located in the Wakarusa Historical Museums complex. Donations will also be accepted by the Society, which is a non-profit organization. Patrons and businesses can even claim their offerings as a tax deduction.

Museum officials said that monetary gifts, outside of the addition project, are always welcome. Those monies go toward maintaining utilities for the nearly dozen museum buildings.

To make a donation