TIMMINS - In the last 80-plus years, a lot has changed in Schumacher.
Through it all, one thing has remained. The McIntyre Community Building.
The iconic brick structure built by J.P. Bickell in the 1930s is now the latest property being suggested for the City of Timmins heritage registry.
At this week's Timmins council meeting, members are being asked to support adding it to the municipal heritage registry. If it's approved, a notice will be posted on the city's website for 30 days. If there are no objections, a bylaw would be up for approval at another council meeting to officially deem the Mac of cultural heritage value or interest.
It would be the third property on the local registry. The Mackechnie house on Wilson was the first addition in 2021, and the city hall building on Algonquin Boulevard was added last month.
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The application for the designation was put forward by the Schumacher Historical Society, with former mayor Tom Laughren and TimminsToday columnist Mike Mulryan leading the push.
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The heritage attributes listed in the application are:
- Original brickwork detailing on the front facade
- Proportion of window openings
- Marquee entrance to the arena
- Illuminated signage at entrance to the coffee shop
- Stone relief on front facade displaying name and date of construction
- Steel girder and truss system, which is a structural and design feature inside the arena
- Plaster mouldings in the auditorium
- The bar area and associated furnishings, such as the stools, which are an original feature inside the McIntyre Coffee Shop
The application names the generations of local hockey stars and champion skaters that have skated at the Mac. The lengthy list includes Bill Barilko, the Mahovlich brothers, Les and Murray Costello, Steve Sullivan and more.
It also talks about the impact the facility had on figure skating.
"From its inception, the skating club was a world leader in training and preparation for some of the world's best skaters and coaches. The club was one of, if not the first to, have summer ice available in North America. It was home to world champions Barbara Ann Scott and Donald Jackson. It was also the first ice surface to have a triple lutz performed on. Jackson perfected the move at the Mac and it became his trademark as he was the only skater to have been able to land the jump," reads the application.
"It was also home to world-renowned skate sharpeners to whom skaters worldwide would ship their blades to be sharpened. His kiosk was just inside the side entrance to the arena."
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Along with being an important part of the community, the Mac is steeped in hockey lore.
J.P. Bickell was the man behind the drive. He was the McIntyre Mine president and had a nearly three-decade association with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where his hats included owner, president, chairman and director.
While not a mini replica of the former Maple Leaf Gardens, the Mac has design cues from the historic Toronto ice rink — including using steel girders and cement in the construction, the brickwork and the art deco style.
"The story goes that J.P. Bickell believed that the miners who toiled in his mine deserved an arena as grand as the Maple Leaf Gardens, hence both roles played a huge part in the building of the Mac," reads the application.
"Construction began in 1937. Photographs and eyewitness accounts record J.P. Bickell placing a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey puck in one of the cornerstones of the arena during construction, but the actual location of the puck is still a topic of debate."
The arena portion was finished in 1938 and hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs facing off in a blue and white game that year.
No decision on the item has been made by Timmins council.
Council meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The full report on the designating the Mac is available here.
