Joseph John Barnicke founder of J.J. Barnicke Limited, Canada’s largest independently owned commercial real estate services company
While walking through Mount Hope Cemetery in Toronto in search of the grave of badminton player and shoe designer Jack Purcell, I came upon the resting place of another notable Canadian: real estate legend and philanthropist Joseph John “J.J.” Barnicke.
Born in Western Canada, Barnicke served his country during the Second World War with the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the war, he attended the University of Toronto and soon began honing his sales skills as a sales manager with O’Keefe Brewing Company—interestingly, the first brewery to produce lager beer in Canada.
1950’s green bottle of O’Keefe’s Extra Old Stock Ale from my personal collection.
From beer salesman to real estate broker, Barnicke made a decisive career shift. In 1959, he founded J.J. Barnicke Limited, which would grow into one of Canada’s most successful commercial and industrial real estate brokerage firms.
Joe Barnicke was famous for his philosophy: “Don’t play the deal. Play the man.” A friend once explained that he lived his life not by chasing deals, but by building relationships. He could be a fierce competitor and a dear friend at the same time—tough during negotiations, yet always ready to shake your hand afterward and share a glass of white wine.
Over his lifetime, Barnicke received numerous awards including the Order of Canada and was widely recognized for his philanthropic contributions. Many may recognize his family name through the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery at Hart House, University of Toronto, named in memory of his late wife, Justina.
Joseph John Barnicke died in Toronto on May 19, 2015. He was 92.
1923-2015
A excerpt from Paul Henderson’s biography “The Pope of Sailing” about J. J. Barnicke’s involvement in handling the sale of the Carlton Club and a master class in patience…
The RCYC then sat back and waited for an upswing in the Toronto real estate market, which took off wildly from 1979 to 1981.
We heard rumblings that the Crown Life Insurance Company, which owned land across the street from the Carlton Club, was looking to expand and wanted to acquire the club’s property and adjacent lands to build a substantial office tower. The board of the RCYC thought that we might get $4 million—maximum—for the old club. Although several commodores seemed to think they were real estate experts and knew best how to proceed, I demanded that we engage the services of the highly respected commercial realtor J.J. Barnicke.
Crown Life’s first offer came in at $4 million. The board said we should take it. Joe Barnicke gave me a great piece of advice: “Good deals take patience!” It was a very stressful time for me as I was caught in the middle, but I trusted Joe Barnicke.
When the offer got to $9 million, Joe said we were close to making a deal. A meeting was convened between Crown Life and the representatives of the RCYC, Commodore Charles Parmalee, lawyer Roger Wilson and Paul Henderson, with Joe Barnicke on the phone. The deal was done toward the end of August 1981 for $11 million, with payments spread over three years.
In my wildest dreams I never thought we would be in that range. The RCYC was able to secure the Medical Arts doctors’ parking lot and all systems were “Go.” A month later the Toronto real estate bubble burst and we couldn’t have got even $4 million for the property.
