From the archives of the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre:
Hemmed in at all sides and often cruelly overlooked, this three-story brick edifice, the old hub of operations of the Hollinger mine, was one of the first of its kind in the community. It has stood at the same place at the intersection of Algonquin and Highway 655 for 103 years.
Its completion and occupation was first noted in the Porcupine Advance February 23rd 1916 which enthusiastically described it as a “handsome brick and cement structure” which cost Hollinger the tidy sum of $30,000, about $600,000 today. This investment was significant; it projected confidence and faith in a lasting mining enterprise in the community. After the completion of such a project any ideas of a fledgling gold rush outfit with makeshift wooden structures were no longer appropriate.
Some may remember the beautifully landscaped gardens and striking water feature of the 30’s when it really shone. Folks were drawn to this spot on the hill overlooking Gilles Lake, it was a picturesque nerve center in the mining skyline which is almost a contradiction in terms. Some may also remember or may well imagine the daily goings on of this place, a queue of miners snaking up the side entrance of the building eager to receive pay packets from the skilled and efficient payroll staff.
Such a place reaches out from time, situates and reassembles a fragmented landscape in the mind. Attachment to a building or a landscape is not quixotic, it helps us define that unwieldy but essential question of “who are we?” and “where is here?
Each week, the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre provides TimminsToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.
Find out more of what the Timmins Museum has to offer at www.timminsmuseum.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here