DUANE
Duane's take
The marker's the word on this one, and here's how I tell it. Malcolm Reed was Central Texas born and bred, and like a lot of sons in those days, he looked at what his father was doing and said — that'll do for me. He followed him into business, and somewhere along the way he didn't just enter the trade, he rose to the top of it, becoming a leading cotton exporter.
Cotton was king in Texas, and Malcolm Reed had a seat at the throne. Now, a man like that needs an equal to build a life with, and in 1898 he found her — Margaret Badger, known to everyone who loved her as Maggie, out of Marble Falls. They wed, and together they made their way.
By 1908, Austin was calling, and the Reeds answered. They settled into the city, built their life there, and then — after two decades — Malcolm and Maggie decided it was time for something that would last. In 1929, they moved into a brand new home, right here on this site.
They didn't just hire any architect. They brought in Hal Thomson, a noted architect, and what Thomson gave them was something to stop and stare at. Italian Renaissance design — a low-pitch hip roof, brackets, a recessed porch, and elaborate detailing that spoke of permanence, of intention, of a family that planned to stay.
And stay they did. The home never left the Reed family. It passed to their daughter Margaret and her husband Joseph Cocke, and it held on like that, generation to generation, all the way until 1990.
Nearly a century of one family's story, worked right into the walls. You can still read it, if you know what you're looking at.
What the marker says
Central Texas native Malcolm Reed followed his father into business and ultimately became a leading cotton exporter. He wed Margaret "Maggie" Badger of Marble Falls in 1898, and in 1908, they moved to Austin. In 1929, they moved into their new home at this site. Designed by noted architect Hal Thomson, the home retains much of its original Italian Renaissance design, including a low-pitch hip roof, brackets, recessed porch and elaborate detailing. The home remained in the Reed family, passing on to daughter Margaret and her husband Joseph Cocke, until 1990. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2006