Constructed in 1886 by George Fee and J.J. Mackey, the Mackey House hotel was a large two story white frame building, extending from Oak Street to Main Street, and siding on Ferguson Street. The hotel portion of the building had its entrance on Oak Street, while the side facing Main Street had a number of businesses and storefronts.

Both George Fee and J.J. Mackey were heavily involved in the development of the community. They both worked for the railway and both men became involved in municipal politics. Fee was named the first Reeve of Widdifield Township in 1885, while Mackey was a city councillor for the Ferguson Ward for several years. In addition, the Worthington Street rink was established with the support of Fee and Mackey in the 1890s. This rink was greatly needed in order to form North Bay’s first hockey league. Both men also helped pay for the grading of Ferguson Street to Oak Street in 1906.

On Saturday, February 19, 1945, the Mackey House burned to the ground in a terrible fire that started Saturday night in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and wasn’t extinguished until Sunday afternoon. It was the largest fire in the city’s history to that date, and the third major fire of the year in the city. The North Bay Nugget reported that one employee of the hotel died, and two people were seriously injured in the blaze. At the time, there were a number of varied businesses operating out of the Mackey House that represented the energetic spirit of early North Bay entrepreneurs.

The Mackey House was a well-known North Bay landmark that served as both a hotel and a commercial centre for over half a century.