Maison du Pilier Rouge, Timber-framed house in Cité Plantagenêt, Le Mans, France

Maison du Pilier Rouge is a corner timber-framed house in Le Mans whose upper facade is ochre plaster crossed by dark red vertical, horizontal and diagonal timber framing under a steep slate roof with a tall brick chimney. Its ground floor has square openings filled with colourful panels and a glass-paned door on the right, and a carved stone pillar supports the corner beneath two small street signs reading "Place du Pilier Rouge" and "Rue du Pilier Rouge".

The house and neighbouring buildings, originally separate and of different periods, are built in timber framing. A column painted red in the first half of the 16th century supports the corner. The corner column, called the Pilier Rouge, was classified as a monument historique by decree of 29 September 1928; the house, including the remains of the gable of a vanished house and the courtyard floors, was inscribed by decree of 12 October 1994.

The house takes its name from the corner column painted red, a feature dating from the first half of the 16th century. The building is timber-framed, and the corner post is a carved stone pillar bearing two street signs, "Place du Pilier Rouge" and "Rue du Pilier Rouge". The column was listed as a monument historique in 1928, the house itself in 1994.

The house stands at the corner of the Place du Pilier Rouge and the Rue du Pilier Rouge, marked by two small signs fixed to the corner; the carved stone pillar supporting the angle is the element to look for. The building is seen from the street, so no interior visit is needed. The old town around it is explored on foot.

The corner column was painted red in the first half of the 16th century, and it is this column alone, not the house, that was classified as a monument historique on 29 September 1928. The house itself, with the remains of a vanished gable and the courtyard floors, was only inscribed on 12 October 1994.