TIMMINS - With nearly nine decades of history in its halls, a new plaque is celebrating where all the political happenings unfold in the city.
On Nov. 27, the city unveiled the new heritage marker declaring the Timmins city hall building at 220 Algonquin Blvd. a heritage site. The 86-year-old building was added to the municipal heritage registry in September 2024.
“The building has been home to our municipal government since 1938,” said Coun. Andrew Marks. “It’s associated with key moments in the development of the city of Timmins prior to amalgamation.”
The small ceremony was attended by members of the municipal heritage committee, city staff, former mayor Tom Laughren, Marks and Mayor Michelle Boileau.
“I’m probably not going to tell any stories, but I do have a few,” said Laughren, who’s a key player in potentially adding the McIntyre Community building to the heritage registry. “I’ve been able to travel since I’ve retired and it’s amazing in a lot of other communities to see the good job they’ve done in preserving their history.”
He added that he’s looking forward to many more presentations like the one at city hall in the future.
An art deco building, city hall opened in 1938 and was designed by Sudbury architect P.J. O'Gorman. New Liskeard-based contractor Hill-Clark-Francis built it for $113,000.
Materials and labour were sourced locally as much as possible.
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Its heritage aspects include the face-brick detailing on the face of the building, the symmetrical arrangements and proportion of the window openings, the original stonework at the roofline and around the building's entrance, the central entrance and staircase, the terrazzo flooring to the second floor and on the central staircase, and the plaques as reasons to preserve the building.
Boileau said it’s essential to keep the history of Timmins alive and well as the city changes and grows.
“We got to do a lot of learning about the building, its construction, the dignitaries that have come through here,” she said. “It was so heartwarming to see the awe of our youth as they came through the building and got to see our city hall.”
The building has housed a police station and council chambers since its doors opened.
“I am so looking forward to seeing what else this building will hold for our community,” said Boileau.
City hall is the second heritage property designated in Timmins. The first was the Mackechnie house at 438 Wilson Ave.
A third building could soon be added.
A public consultation period to add the McIntyre Community Building to the register is nearing its end and will be brought back to council for final approval.
In 2022, six municipally owned properties — including city hall — were added to the municipal heritage register list as non-designated properties.
The properties are the McIntyre Headframe, the McIntyre Community Building, the dome-shaped ore bin at the Hollinger property on Water Tower Road, city hall, the City of Timmins Engineering Building (that's also the old post office), the Timmins Transit terminal that was the old railway station, and the H.R. Bielek building that houses the Timmins Senior Recreation Centre.
A non-designated property doesn't have the same protections as a designated property.
