Glulam or steel I-beams have been added to each floor, and all the posts and glulam beams have been clad in spruce to blend with the original structure. It will be preserved and incorporated into the space that will house an expanded Time Change(d), Ryan said. That fate was averted, though, when the city declared them heritage buildings in early 2016. The style was introduced to North America by the settlers of New France and brought west with the fur trade. It's really been opened up," Ryan said, noting the upper floors had been unused, with the heat shut off, for about 45 years. Story idea? Eventually, it was adopted by the employees of the HBC. With Seven Oaks House being the oldest home, it is remarkable that we have two buildings here in Winnipeg … [2] Once completed in 2021, the Artis Reit Residential Tower (300 Main st) will become Winnipeg's tallest building. The Seven Oaks House Museum estimates that the store was likely built between 1835 and 1840, which would make that small, two room log cabin the oldest building in Winnipeg. The exterior brick has been blasted clean of grime and windows have been replaced, while more extensive work is being undertaken inside. Jill Wade, in her paper Red River Architecture 1812-1870, details this form of construction: It is made of log construction common to Manitoba and given a variety of names: Manitoba frame, Red River frame, piece sur piece, poteaux sur sole, poteaux et piece coulissante, and the Hudson’s Bay style. Saving Winnipeg: Restoring 2 of city's oldest buildings yields good and bad surprises, Fortune Block, home of Times Change(d) bar, gets OK from committee for heritage status, The Macdonald and Fortune Block: Heritage Winnipeg, Resurrecting the Fortune Block: West End Dumplings, Memorable Manitobans: Mark Fortune (1847-1912), Exchange District's 'ghost signs' getting temporary facelift, Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Hotel, 'A giant makeover': New owner promises to restore Times Change(d) building and others, Time stands still for Times Change(d) - for now, Unit 7 Architecture Inc.: Fortune Building, CBC is not responsible for 3rd party content, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. A faded "ghost" sign for a former butcher and grocer that operated out of the Fortune Block was discovered in a space at the back, which had been built out and turned into a garage in the 1950s. He's crossing his fingers that doesn't include the much-less desirable surprises, like those that set the project back several months. "Extensive, extensive work has to be done," Pollard said, adding that from an economic standpoint, it would have made more sense to tear down the Macdonald Block. Because of World War I, the building was not completed - no work was done for a full year - and was not opened until 1917. As of 2011, Winnipeg had 143 completed high-rise buildings, with 5 more under construction, 3 approved for construction, and 2 proposed. Many of the city's office towers were completed during this period, such as Canwest Place and the Evergreen Place towers.