Art Gallery

History

The rapid expansion of what would become Apricot Bay caused a flock (no pun intended) of settlers from the east looking to tame the Valley Cascadia. Looking to grow his fishing operations, a successful mink by the name of Theodore Abernathy came from the opposite coast of the country, setting up shop at the head of Apricot Lake and contracting a large, ornate manor to be constructed there. The front steps stood tall, castle-like towers with conic roofs flanked the main parts of the house, and the foyer sprawled in every which way, including upwards into a loft space.

In the end, despite the lake, Theodore mostly used the house as a summer home. Rather than have half the house sit empty, Theodore often invited family and business partners to stay at the home as a way to convince them to bring their businesses to the beautiful Cascadia coastline, but to little avail. On one or two occasions, reportedly, Theodore even experimented with using parts of the house to raise birds.

Theodore and his only son died about two decades later from ergotamine poisoning, leaving no heir apparent to Theodore's fortune. The house passed from owner to owner, none of them with any real desire to restore the house's condition, and on two occasions, the house was officially declared derelict by the county.

A little over 30 years prior to the main plot, an eccentric young painter named Riley, fresh off a few lucrative advertising deals and not much else, bought the house with plans to turn it not just into a personal studio, but also as a display for his and the work of anyone who was interested. ("In the woods, in the middle of nowhere"—Riley now says with a smirk if you ask him.)

Part of the reason Riley was able to buy it on an artist's salary is because of the sheer amount of repair work that he would've need to do on the property. The missing windows on the third floor often had foliage and tree branches poking through them, littering the floors in a curious mixture of glass and fallen leaves. Rotted wood threatened structural problems (though thankfully, none were ever found). Fittingly, birds had started to nest in the attic space.

Riley had accepted that the house would likely need over a decade of constant renovation (that he paid out of pocket, no less) and stayed in an inside room adjacent the foyer, a room that Giulio now uses as his studio. Nature, somehow, had other plans, and over the span of a year, Riley would regularly find another corner of the house seemingly like nothing ever happened to it.

Ultimately, Riley decided not to question it, not that he'd ever get to the bottom of what was truly repairing the house even if he did.

Architecture

The Art Gallery is two stories, with prominent spires and bay windows jutting out every single which way. There's three exits to the house, the front exit, the side exit through what's designated as a dining room area, and an exit through the basement by way of a bulkhead door.

The foyer spans two floors, being one of the two staircases to enter onto the second floor. Most of the second floor is used for storage, with a single room (the one closest to the foyer staircase and the one with the prominent bay window on the second floor) Riley's chosen for himself. Often

The look of the Art Gallery is fairly ornate, with nicely carved railings and classy, dark hardwood floors (albeit rather dull ones, showing their age). Owing to its size and only housing two people, however, it's a bit sparse on the inside. Adding splashes of color are the many overgrown potted plants Riley keeps that hang over the stairs and down the walls like ivy (irritating Giulio in the process). Most of the carpeted display rooms are empty, though Riley and Giulio both keep one for their finished work.

The shape of the outside of the property isn't as nice as it is inside. Its most prominent addition is a simple little shed where Riley and Giulio keep their fishing supplies and store their boat when it's not out on the lake.

Notable residents

Of course, Riley lives here, along with his partner Giulio. They each take up rooms fairly close to the front door out of convenience, Riley living in the loft with his many plants, and Giulio taking the center room, albeit with blackout curtains so as to control who shares his space, be it visitors or sunlight.

Not long after his arrival in Apricot Bay, Colton began to visit the Gallery regularly. Though Riley initially assumed it was out of interest in the art or a desire for peace, he'd later learn it was because Colton was effectively orphaned and offered him his own little private space in the home for as long as he needed. (Colton later moves in with Madeleine and her family, though Riley still acts as a mentor of sorts, and he visits frequently.)

Beyond its true residents, Riley remains firm on his offer that anyone with art to display in the Gallery can have their own room. Of course, rarely does he get takers, given the town's obscurity, but at least he's not in danger of running out of rooms.