Link to:
Occupants | Photos & Maps | Sources
Designed by local architect William Wallace Blair, this house in the Crescentwood area of Winnipeg was built between 1910 and 1911 by Geoffrey Hitzler Walton for real estate developer Mark Fortune, who lost his life in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in mid-1912. Remaining Fortune family members returned to Winnipeg and lived in the house until 1920 when it was sold to William Pitt Riley. The Rileys lived here until 1948 then moved to another house on Wellington Crescent. The building was sold and subdivided into suites. It stood vacant for a period after 1981 and was later designated as a municipal historic site.
Period
Occupant/Owner
1911-1912
Mark Fortune (1847-1912)
1912-1920
Mary Fortune (1851-1929)
1920-1948
William Pitt Riley (1870-1954)
1948-1990
Suites
Fortune House (May 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Fortune House (March 2020)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.87318, W97.15733
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: William Wallace Blair (1852-1916)
Memorable Manitobans: Geoffrey Hitzler Walton (1878-1951)
Memorable Manitobans: Mark Fortune (1847-1912)
Historical Tour: Crescentwood, Winnipeg’s Best Residential District by Rosemary Malaher
Manitoba History, Number 24, Autumn 1992Historical Tours in Manitoba: A Walking Tour of Crescentwood (Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Some Old Winnipeg Buildings by Randy R. Rostecki
MHS Transactions, Series 3, Number 29, 1972-73 season
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 904/1910, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 2993/1910, City of Winnipeg Archives.
Crescentwood: A History by Randy R. Rostecki, The Crescentwood Home Owners Association, 1993.
Fortune House (393 Wellington Crescent), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, September 1981.
We thank Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 9 January 2022
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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