A PEEK AT THE PAST...
Harbor Beach Community House
from November 5, 1917, to the Present, February 2010
by Leonard DeFrain

Starting in October 1917, the city needed a place for city purposes. The city of Harbor Beach raised $25,000 for the purpose of erecting and fitting out city offices in connection with an auditorium.

The Jenks family, in connection with that project, and for the purpose of providing the community with a community center, proposed to convey to a corporation to be known as the Harbor Beach Community House. The corporation was to be under the control of the trustees of the school district in which the city is located.

The building on the lot at that time was occupied by the Mihlethaler Company. If the proposition was accepted it would be necessary for that company to build a new building for itself. Also they would retain possession of the building, without payment of rent, until the new building was completed.

In November 1917, the city council resolved to accept this proposition and reconstruction of the Mihlethaler building for a community house. Actual construction of the building was not started until June 1919, and the first unit to be used was the theatre and auditorium. The final dedication of the Community House took place on September 21, 1921.

On March 17, 1926, St. Patrick’s Day, fire destroyed a large part of the Community House — the gymnasium, city council rooms, clerk’s office, and the American Legion and Woman’s Club rooms were totally destroyed. The building loss was estimated above the insurance coverage of $105,000.

A temporary theatre called the “Calamity Theatre” was built to the north with a seating capacity of 520. The entire building was built in one day. A contest was held to name the new building and the name “Calamity Theatre” was turned in by Kenneth Klump and another choice was “Relief Theatre” by Jack Douglas. In May 1927, the new theatre opened. A restaurant, in the basement, was added to the “new” community house and was operated by Harry Douglas.

In the 1960s, the Community House was called a “has been.” In the early 1970s, its future was bleak. In January 1975, a “new” Community House council was formed and under careful guidance of Jim Cregeur and Keith Will, the Community House was resurrected.

An open house was held at the recently renovated Community House on January 22 and 23, 2010. If you did not get a chance to go through the building then, I suggest that you make arrangements to do so in the near future; the handicapped will have no problem getting around.