THUNDER BAY – As the handoff of the Finnish Labour Temple to a new owner approaches, volunteers are working to ensure pieces of local history housed in the building are preserved.
Some items, like the Hoito restaurant’s famous scale and unmistakeable blue chairs, were included in the sale to new owner Brad McKinnon, a former Lakehead University student who plans to turn the upper levels of the building into high-end apartments and revitalize the restaurant downstairs.
Derek Parks, a former board member of the now-dissolved Finlandia Association, was on hand Friday sorting through some of the items now piled in the building’s auditorium. Parks and other volunteers are working to find the right home for the artifacts before the Nov. 5 deadline to vacated the building.
That will mostly consist of giveaways to appropriate groups, Parks expected, though the process to distribute the items has not yet been finalized. However, he didn't rule out something like an auction to benefit local charities.
From century-old photographs to vintage costumes and stage props to the building’s furnishings, each item seemed to hold the promise of a story untold.
Sorting through that collection has been a sometimes emotional task for volunteers, Parks said, but an essential one to ensure the building’s legacy lives on in some form.
“It’s been very tough,” he said. “There’s a hundred years of history in this building – if the walls could talk, right?”
“It’s been interesting to see all the stuff that’s been acquired over the years and all the stories. We’re sad to see the end result that's arisen – but there’s an honour and respect to take what is left and get it back in the community.”
The Finlandia Association opted to liquidate in May after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of the Hoito Restaurant. That left the association unable to make biweekly mortgage payments of just under $2,000 to the Royal Bank of Canada, which denied requests for a deferral.
For items not included in the sale, Parks said the Thunder Bay Museum will have a chance to identify those of historical significance, with the remainder likely being distributed to local groups with a connection to the material.
“We want to make sure everything in here finds a proper home where it represents something to someone in the community,” he said.
Scott Bradley, the museum’s executive director, said the organization had recently been invited for a walk-through of the building, and found a number of items of interest.
The artifacts spoke powerfully to the local history of organized labour groups like the International Workers of the World (IWW), the Finnish community, local theatre, and more, he said.
If offered up to the museum, the items would form part of the its permanent collection, with the potential for an exhibit celebrating the labour temple's legacy. Bradley emphasized that no offers had yet been formalized.
McKinnon has previously indicated a desire to preserve some of the building's history, possibly highlighting it with a display in the building’s foyer.
Parks expressed confidence that the items not included in the sale, at least, wouldn’t be forgotten.
“I don’t think there’ll be an item left,” he said. “I’m sure everything in this building will find a home that will love and cherish it.”
Note: This article has been updated to clarify that volunteers with the former Finlandia Association intend to gift most items to appropriate organizations.
