In the not so distant past, the glorious Fortune and Macdonald Blocks were in a sad state, under threat of demolition. After years of neglect, the buildings were in disrepair and the owner wanted to level them and build a hotel in their place. Unwilling to let Winnipeg’s priceless heritage be destroyed, Heritage Winnipeg advocated for the designation of the buildings to protect them from demolition. And after being purchased by a new owner that truly understood their value and potential, the beautifully conserved Fortune and Macdonald Blocks made their public debut in Doors Open Winnipeg 2019.

Originally built in 1882 in the High Victorian Italianate style, both the Fortune and Macdonald Blocks, which are virtually indistinguishable from each other, have stood at 226-234 Main Street for over 130 years. An article in the newspaper marveling at the changes to Main Street at the time described it as:

…a massive 4-storey brick building for business purposes, erected by Mark Fortune, but recently acquired by Alex. Macdonald…

 
To set the stage: in 1882, Winnipeg’s population was just over 8,000 people, which is comparable to the current size of Morden, Manitoba. Union Station on Main Street wouldn’t be built for another thirty years, the Canadian Pacific Railway had been incorporated the previous year and track between Lake Superior and Winnipeg had just been built. In 1886, just four years later, the first railway journey from Montreal to Vancouver would be made on the newly completed Canadian Pacific Railway. Sir John A. Macdonald was serving his second term as Prime Minister. Elsewhere in the world, Jesse James is shot by Robert Ford; Thomas Edison flips the switch to turn on the first commercial electrical power plant, in lower Manhattan; and the world mourns the death of Charles Darwin.

The Fortune and Macdonald Blocks in 1892. Note the Winnipeg Hotel, built 1873 at the far left.
Source: John Pollard (used with permission)

Walk down Main Street today, and you will see something that has been missing for nearly 100 years – wrought iron decoration crowning the roof line of the Fortune and Macdonald Blocks. On January 27, 2016, both the Fortune and Macdonald Blocks became legally protected from demolition though their municipal designation as historical resources, much to the disappointment of the previous owner, who had hoped to sell the property to a hotel company.

The heritage building designation included exterior and interior elements – for the Macdonald Block:

With the following exterior elements: 1) Three-storey brick building with flat roof…its main facade facing east onto Main Street, its south facade facing a vacant lot, its north facade…2) Its main (east) facade with its upper storeys clad in polychromatic brick, divided into two bays by a centrally-place (sic) brick pilaster, a second brick pilasters…and windows in this roundheaded openings under larger segmental brick arches (some with patterned brickwork)…and windows in pointed headed opening with layered brick arches on the top floor, a metal fire escape along the south end and ornamental metal cornice at the roofline; and 3) Its uninterrupted common clay brick south facade.

With the following interior elements: ornamental tin clad light well.

And for the Fortune Block:

With the following exterior elements: 1) Three-storey brick building with flat roof…its main facades facing east onto Main Street and north onto St. Mary Avenue, its south facade…; 2) Its main facades (east and north) with entrance and display windows…the upper floors with their windows in round-headed opening (some paired) under larger segmental brick arches on the second floor and pointed headed, either single or triple opening, with layered brick arches…polychromatic brick accenting, raised brick pilasters, metal fire escape (north) and an unadorned brick parapet; 3) The small paired windows on the ground floor of the facade; and 4) Its rear (west) facade partially covered by a one-storey addition with metal fire escape.

With the following interior elements: 1) Ornamental tin ceiling; 2) Coffered ceiling of third floor skylight; 3) Primary staircase on the south side from the ground floor to the third floor; and 4) Ornamental moulding in hallways and around windows and doors.

Heritage designation for these two buildings not only meant that a hotel developer could no longer raze them and build a new structure, it meant that the listed features had to be respected. Any proposed alterations to these features required application for a heritage permit from the city.

The restored staircase inside the Fortune Block in 2019.
Source: Heritage Winnipeg

Heritage Winnipeg was involved for months beforehand in fighting for these buildings to receive heritage designation: attending meetings; corresponding with the Manitoba Historical Society, the City of Winnipeg, and potential developers; and advising various groups on the historical character of the building. In fact, Heritage Winnipeg had originally received notice from the previous owner that the building was “beyond repair and placing any impediment to demolition and redeveloping the site would be economically unfeasible and a disservice to the community.”

Heritage Winnipeg then contacted an engineer to confirm this assessment, and although the previous owner would not allow a full examination of the building, correspondence from the engineer indicated that the owner had not provided any technical information upon which an informed decision could be made. Furthermore, the engineer did state that based on the information that was made available by the then-owner, “nothing in the enclosed photographs suggests structural deficiencies.” Encouraged by this assessment, Heritage Winnipeg, along with the now owner John Pollard, was able to obtain partial access to the building to have an engineer conduct a third party review – this review stated that: “Where viewable, the perimeter foundation and interior separating foundation wall appeared in good shape, with little sign of disturbance related to settlement or water infiltration.”

The Fortune and Macdonald Blocks at 226-234 Main Street.
Source: Robert Sweeney, 2018 (via Heritage Winnipeg)

In fact, many of the findings in the third party report appeared to directly contradict indications from the previous owner. In one case, where the previous owner had said that the “exterior brickwork is unstable” – the third party engineers reported that “Loose bricks were not evident”, and merely suggested cleaning and repointing of brick facades.

Not long after the designation was announced, the Fortune Block was bought by local businessman John Pollard, who then bought the Macdonald Block, the Winnipeg Hotel, and the vacant lot between the two properties in October 2016.  The Winnipeg Hotel is even older than the Fortune and Macdonald Blocks, being built in 1872, only two years after Manitoba became a province. Heritage Winnipeg has been working with the Pollard family to support efforts to save and renovate all three buildings.

At the 2018 Heritage Winnipeg Spring Fundraiser, John Pollard was featured as our guest speaker. John delivered a heartfelt talk about his experience conserving the two buildings, reflecting on the rewards and challenges of owning a heritage building. Although the Macdonald Block was in rougher shape than first realized and despite having faced some impediments on the renovation due to building codes, the Pollard family fully intended to restore both buildings to their former glory and expressed no regrets in undertaking the project.

John Pollard speaking at Heritage Winnipeg’s 2018 Spring Fundraising Luncheon.
Source: Heritage Winnipeg

Another John has been working hard for years to try and get designation for the historic Fortune and Macdonald Blocks – John Scoles, who owns and operates Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club, a blues bar that has operated out of the Fortune Block for many years. It is this John who inspired the title of this blog post – “Culture Not Condos,” which has been on the sign at the High & Lonesome since the battle for the fate of the buildings began.John has also been in correspondence with Heritage Winnipeg about the fate of the Fortune Block – look up inside the High & Lonesome Club and you’ll see the original ornamental pressed tin ceiling tiles. Considered the “gatekeeper” of the building, John was an important resource during the renovations, providing guidance whenever called upon.

The High And Lonesome Club at 234 Main Street, located inside the Fortune Block in 2019.
Source: Heritage Winnipeg

After two and a half years of hard work, the Fortune Block finally opened its doors to the public for Doors Open Winnipeg 2019! Renovations were finished in the nick of time, with the final coats of paint being applied just minutes before opening. The response from the public was tremendous, with hundreds of people visiting the building over the course of the weekend. The building was voted Best New Participant in the 9th Annual Peoples’ Choice Awards, which operate in conjunction with Doors Open Winnipeg. Ryan Pollard, the project manager for the conservation of the two building, commented how pleased they were with how the building turned out, while graciously accepting the award.

Heritage Winnipeg Executive Director Cindy Tugwell presenting the Peoples’ Choice Award for Best New Participant in Doors Open Winnipeg 2019 to Ryan Pollard for the Fortune Block.
Source: Heritage Winnipeg

Heritage Winnipeg is deeply grateful to the Pollard family for their commitment to preserving Winnipeg’s built heritage. The restoration of the Fortune and Macdonald blocks, though not the most cost-effective move, is priceless in terms of its heritage value in the community!

A view from the roof of the Fortune Block at 230 Main Street in 2019.
Source: Heritage Winnipeg

SOURCES
https://winnipegsun.com/2015/10/15/times-changed-owner-wants-to-demolish-building/wcm/ba74d16e-2155-4017-ad9b-951141f699a6
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/fortune-block-macdonald-heritage-renovation-winnipeg-1.5145265
https://winnipegsun.com/2016/01/27/fortune-block-saved-by-heritage-designation/wcm/200c8013-2b81-411c-9896-09b0f2cabc3b
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/fortune-block-home-of-times-change-d-bar-gets-ok-from-committee-for-heritage-status-1.3400472
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1882
http://www.u7arc.com/projects/display,project/102/fortune-building
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/mcdonald-and-fortune-buildings-get-makeover-1.3809366
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/fortune-macdonald-block-renovations-1.4487674
http://www.winnipeg.ca/PPD/Documents/Heritage/ListHistoricalResources/Main-226-short.pdf (Macdonald building)
http://www.winnipeg.ca/PPD/Documents/Heritage/ListHistoricalResources/Main-232-short.pdf (Fortune building)