Last week, Cochrane said goodbye to one of its historical homes.
The Reed house, which stood at 308 3rd Street West, was knocked to the ground to make room for highway developments, said the home’s last owner, Cindy Murray.
“That’s progress,” said Murray of the demolition of the small brick home.
Built in 1910, the two-bedroom house was home to Murray’s Angel Scent Lavender, a boutique filled with homemade products Murray crafted from her lavender plants. The store operated out of the home’s living room, patio and kitchen. The Lavender House Esthetics and Day Spa shared the space, operating out of the two bedrooms.
The home was moved to the 3rd Street West location from property in east Cochrane and belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Reed from 1925 to 1958, according to the Cochrane Historical and Archival Preservation Society’s (CHAPS) publication Under the Big Hill. Sydney Reed was the butter maker at Cochrane Creamery Ltd. and was elected mayor of Cochrane in 1943.
For Murray, who bought the home in 2004, the house helped bring her dreams to life. Her husband, Don, even sold his Corvette to help with the down payment.
“I just went through the house and thought, ‘This is it,’” said Murray, who now lives in Houston, Texas. “Anyone who went into the house always commented on its great energy.”
The home was known for the cow painted on the garage, an image Murray said town residents urged her not to paint over.
“So I just painted some lavender in the cow’s mouth,” she laughed.
Murray closed down shop in 2009 before relocating to Texas. She kept the house, renting it out to the Alberta Association of Recreation Facility Personnel, who took up residence in the home until 2012.
“We were so lucky to have been able to be in that home,” said Shawntel Graybill, administrative coordinator of the organization. “There was something so warm about the house — people were always commenting on it.”
In October 2012, Murray said she received the call from Alberta Transportation: the house was in the way of highway developments.
“I tried really hard to keep that house,” she said. “I remember saying, ‘Can’t you just change the road a little bit.’”
The plot of land is now barren, but the brick from the home was salvaged by CHAPS, said organization president Gordon Davies, adding that hopefully it can be used to replace damaged brick on other historical buildings.
“It’s a bit sad to see these things go — they all have a history,” he said. “It’s one less house with Cochrane brick. There aren’t many around town anymore.”
“That house had such a great story just in the short time we were there,” said Murray, echoing Davies’ sentiments. “What else happened (in that house) for the other 100 years?”
