The Harker House is a historic home located in Magrath

Magrath, Alberta

Magrath is a town in Cardston County, Alberta, Canada. Its 2006 population was 2,081. Magrath is located near the Canadian Rockies and is south of Lethbridge and south of Calgary.- History :...

. The house was originally built in 1907 for Bank of Montreal

Bank of Montreal

The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...

managers and is known as the Harker House located at 79 West Harker Avenue. The first manager to occupy the house was Mabel, R.S., in December 1907.

Today

In November 2009 the historic Harker House was damaged extensively by fire, mainly destroying the basement level of the home. Unfortunately damages from the fire have left the interior of the building structurally unsound, however the outer structure was deemed salvageable. Fire damage to the home was said to be in the $750,000.00 to $1,000,000.00 range. The home sat vacant, slated for demolition unless a new owner willing to do the restoration work purchased the home. Sadly, that never happened and the building was demolished in 2010. It is sorely missed by Magrath's population.

External links

• Alberta Register of Historic Places - Harker House
• West Winds Weekly News article