Timmins designates McIntyre Community Building a ‘Heritage Property’

Timmins designates the 1938 McIntyre Community Building in Schumacher as heritage property, honoring its historic & cultural role.

The McIntyre Community Building in Schumacher is officially a designated heritage property in the City of Timmins.

Locally known as ‘The Mac,’ the building was established in 1938 during The Great Depression and a year before World War II.

Many famous people have stepped foot in the facility or have made a name for themselves in it, while others call it an important part of their childhood.

“Well, you know, as a child it was opportunity,” said Tom Laughren, a former Timmins mayor and a member of the Schumacher Historical Society that grew up in the northern community.

“So anything that happened in Schumacher when you were a kid, whether it was playing baseball, hockey, tennis, coming down to the park all revolved around this corner, this building and, you know, I think when you, look at, at this building and the impact that it’s had on this community over and above kids like myself that grew up here, it’s been phenomenal.”

The dedication ceremony was also an opportunity to show appreciation to the man who directed the construction of the building. He was J.P. Bickell, the president of McIntyre Mines who thought his miners deserved an arena as grand as Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

Bickell’s first cousin, two generations removed, attended the ceremony to present Mayor Michelle Boileau with an image of Bickell and speak on behalf of his late philanthropic relative.

“He felt and the mine management felt that healthy families, healthy workers, was just good for overall mental health and well-being,” said Graham MacLachlan.

“They wanted to provide a facility that if Toronto can have it, that Schumacher and Timmins proper should have the same sort of facility,” said MacLachlan.

To this day, the art deco style architecture features the original brickwork, moldings, exterior signs and the stools in the McIntyre Coffee Shop.

Officials said the heritage designation offers no special protection of the building, but others promise to uphold this legacy as long as they can.

The Timmins Sports Heritage Hall of Fame wants to add a storytelling component to all the athletes’ images in the J.P. Bickell Auditorium within the building which also houses the McIntrye Curling Club and the Schumacher Lions Club.