MUSEUM MUSINGS: THE MCDONALD BLOCK

Photo from the Bill Smiley Archives The McDonald Block, seen here in this photo from approximately 1925 was built in 1912, and stood on the corner of Central Avenue and 11th Street West.

Fred Payton

Prince Albert Historical Society

Although we have lost many of them, Prince Albert’s downtown has many old buildings with wonderful architectural interest.  I enjoy stopping and looking at them, and thinking of how many people have walked past them, shopped in them, or worked within their walls.  Were I asked which of them is my favourite, I would be hard pressed to choose.  But amongst the top three would have to be the McDonald Block.

The McDonald Block, built in 1912, has stood on the corner of Central and 11th Street West, and watched the many changes which have occurred through the years.  It was there when the Mitchell Block burned down, when the first purpose-built police station was opened, and when the original town hall (now the Margo Fournier Arts Centre) was vacated in favour of rental space in the former Holy Family Nurses Residence, as well as when the current city hall was built.

A three-storey brick building, it served as home to the druggist and his family when he moved off of River Street.  In fact, it served as a drug store from its opening in 1912 until 1967 when it received new life as a banking financial institution called Northwest Trust.  Currently On the Avenue Art Gallery, you can still see the original drug vault which later accommodated the needs of the Northwest Trust (and, later still, the Continental Bank) for safe storage of their cash and other valuable assets.

Originally McDonald’s Drugs, it later became Liggett’s Drugs, then for a year Tamblyn Drugs and, finally in 1957, Rowe’s Drugs #2.  Apparently Liggett’s owner was not a local resident, as the store was managed throughout the years by individuals such as J.M. Deane, L.V. Dare, George G. Thompson, W.L. Giles, and George Badger.  As Rowe’s, it was managed primarily by Neil Shewchuk.

Long-time residents of Prince Albert might remember Allan Barsky’s Lady Bug store on the main floor in the early 1970s, and possibly as Gedir Consulting in the late 1980s and early 1990s, or one of the financial services companies, Beneficial Finance and Associate Financial.

Through the years, the upper floors have served as homes to doctors, dentists, lawyers, and real estate firms, as well as residential apartments.  Lawyers who have had offices in the building include Clyne Harradence, Val Longworth, Tom Ferris, and Larry Zatlyn.

On the west end of the building, in a space that opens onto 11th Street West, there have been a number of occupants.  In 1919, C.P. Erwin had a jewelry shop.  H.W. Davy opened his electrician’s business in that space in 1925, and continued in that accommodation until 1938.  Max Carment’s father shared the space with Adamson Jewelers from 1941, first as an optometrist and later as the jeweler.  Hinz Radio was in that location from 1950 until1960, after which it was the home for Fred Allen, an insurance specialist and then Blacklaw’s Agency.  Grey Cab operated from there from 1964 until1980.  Other businesses included The Diet Centre and Investors Group Financial Services.  This space actually was built over the property where Hugh John Montgomery (and his daughter Lucy Maud) resided.

It is not simply the building’s tenants, or even the grand nature of the building itself, that draws me to the building.  It is the man who had it built, and his life story, which I find compelling.

Charles McDonald was born in Meigle, Perthshire, Scotland on March 2nd, 1867, the son of George Wood McDonald and Clementine McDonald (nee: Chalmers).  His family emigrated to Canada when he was two years old, resulting in Charles being educated in Renfrew County, Ontario.  At the age of seventeen, Charles began employment in the drug industry.  In 1893, he married Florence Oran of Belleville, Ontario, and they became the parents of two daughters.  The Charles McDonald family moved to Prince Albert in 1898, with McDonald purchasing an established drug business on River Street West (likely that of Eastwood Jackson, Prince Albert’s first druggist).

By expanding his stock, McDonald soon expanded the business’s trade.  He also became active in the community, including in the Methodist church and the local Liberal organization.  He served six years on the school board, before being elected to City Council, serving for four years, including two as mayor.  In 1917, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly and, in 1921 he was re-elected by acclamation.  It was during his first term in the Legislative Assembly that McDonald demonstrated his courage (or, perhaps, his stupidity).  He joined with Inspector Sullivan of the Provincial Police in seeking two of the three individuals alleged to be responsible for the Steep Creek murders.  They were armed, and believed to be hiding in a hay stack on a farm east of Prince Albert.  On a Sunday morning, he and Sullivan walked up to the hay stack and convinced the two men to surrender.

In 1925, he sought the federal seat in the House of Commons and defeated his two challengers (former mayor William Knox and a brash young lawyer by the name of Diefenbaker).  He easily won the election, receiving more votes than both of his opponents combined.

It was in that election that the leader of the Liberal party was defeated in his riding of York North.  McDonald agreed to resign his seat to allow MacKenzie King to run in a by-election in Prince Albert.  One of the commitments which he required of King, however, was that Prince Albert should be rewarded with the establishment of a national park in the area.  King was elected in the by-election early in 1926, and the Prince Albert National Park was opened in August, 1928.

McDonald had retired from his business as a druggist and moved to British Columbia.  In 1935, when an opening occurred for a Senator from that province, MacKenzie King rewarded McDonald by appointing him to the vacant seat in the Senate.  Unfortunately for McDonald, as he was travelling by train to Ottawa, he had a heart attack and died.  It is believed that McDonald is the only Canadian to have been elected to the House of Commons and appointed to the Senate without taking a seat in either House.

                                                                                fgpayton@sasktel.net

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