Many travelling Griffin Rd. have been watching with interest as an iconic historic landmark was repositioned in preparation for its next role in Cochrane's history.

Norberg Properties Ltd. is breathing new life into the 'Griffin' Barn a short distance from the winding Bow River near the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre. 

The company is developing a business park after purchasing the last remaining 7.8 acres of the Griffin family property that once spanned 252 acres.

Its prime location made the property attractive in itself, but the company also valued the relevance of the barn, believed to be 113-years-old, 

"We see it as a really good opportunity to engage with the community," says business manager Brian King. "We want it to be a bit of a landmark, a bit of destination if you will. We're spending a great deal of time and money trying to retain the historical value of it, but also making sure it functions."

What exactly it will house hasn't been decided, but there's plenty of options.

King says it could become an event centre, art gallery, or even a stand-alone professional office.

There will be an annex at the back with facilities that will connect it to a new office building, something the company believes is in short supply in Cochrane.

Up until Norberg purchased the property in 2018, it was a working barn. There was hay in the loft, and saddles and such below.

It was painstakingly repositioned to the front and raised in elevation. It was physically moved the same day the Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge was opened in the fall.

"Those driving into the site for the first time may not realize how much stripping and grading had to occur for that barn to get at the elevation it's at now. The positioning of it, the elevation of it, was all done strategically through engineering to make that a showpiece."

Most of its original features will be retained, including its use of Cochrane brick, something unique for a working barn.

According to the Town of Cochrane Heritage Register, the barn is believed to have been built in 1907, based upon the date stamped on its hinges.

The heritage register rates it as a very good example of a gambrel-roof barn and has a direct link to agricultural development in the province. The register considers the use of brick on an agricultural structure as its most notable feature. What makes that especially significant to us is its brick was produced right here in Cochrane.

Making the barn truly important to Cochrane were the prominent pioneers who owned it over the years (We'll be exploring that in an upcoming article). All played figurative roles in laying the foundation for the community, originally incorporated as a village in 1903 with a population of 158 people.

The Griffins bought the property in 1949.