Exterior of L'Éperon : Pavillon d'accueil – Pointe-à-Callière, close-up view

Pointe-à-Callière – Eperon Building : Reception Pavilion

Country Canada
City Montréal
Customer Société immobilière du patrimoine architectural de Montréal
Surface area 11,000 m²
Year 1992

The main building of Pointe-à-Callière – Montréal Archeology and History Complex conforms to the triangular shape of the site and integrates seamlessly with its built environment.

Like a missing link in a chain, its construction reunifies and restores continuity to the fragmented urban fabric along de la Commune Street while maintaining the volumetrics and proportions of the Royal Insurance building, the last structure to occupy this location.

Exterior of L'Éperon : Pavillon d'accueil – Pointe-à-Callière, at night

Exterior of L'Éperon : Pavillon d'accueil – Pointe-à-Callière, side view at night

The tower, a contemporary reinterpretation of the former Royal Insurance building, serves both a symbolic and functional role. With its fragmented, asymmetrical form, it stands as a visual landmark for the museum from afar while marking its entrance up close. Rising above the trees, it also serves as a lookout over the Old Port.

The building’s placement carefully respects the existing remains. The new structure is set on a system of strategically positioned pilings to safeguard the artifacts below. It houses the reception area and multimedia room, where visitors are introduced to Montréal’s history before descending underground to explore the archaeological layers of the building and the city.