Muraille de Chine

The Muraille de Chine was a concrete residential building that stretched 320 meters across the Saint-Jacques plateau with eight floors housing 354 apartments. The structure's massive scale and continuous form made it a landmark feature of the district's urban landscape.

Construction began in 1961 as France's response to housing shortages following World War II and urban planning challenges of that era. The building remained in use for several decades before its demolition in 2023 to make way for new public green space.

The name 'Great Wall' came from local residents who saw the building's immense length and continuous horizontal lines as comparable to that famous monument. This nickname reflects how people understood and talked about the place in their daily lives.

The building underwent several renovations over the years, including upgrades to reduce energy use and improve living conditions. Today the site is part of a new urban park, making it accessible and easy to reach from the Saint-Jacques neighborhood.

When the building was demolished, about a quarter of its materials were reused to construct a new urban park on the site. This recycling effort turned what was once a massive housing complex into a public gathering space for the neighborhood.