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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The former town hall of Île-aux-Marins is an emblematic building of the archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, located on the island of the Marins, near the chapel Notre-Dame-des-Marins. Built in 1887 to house the island doctor, the house initially included a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, a bedroom, as well as a penthouse with a pharmacy and a shed. This building, now disused as a town hall, still bears the French flag and a cannon placed in front of its entrance, symbols of its administrative and maritime past.

In 1892 the island, then called Île-aux-Chiens, was built as a separate commune of Saint-Pierre, with 700 inhabitants and several neighbouring islands. The house officially became a town hall in 1920, marking the beginning of its political role. In 1931, the commune was renamed Île-aux-Marins, before being abolished in 1935. During this period, the appentis was transformed into a garage for firefighters, and a commemorative plaque was placed there in 1932 in tribute to Admiral Gauchet, a native of the island.

Ranked a historic monument in 2011, the town hall was restored twice, in 1987 and 2017, to preserve its entrance drum and its facades damaged by moisture. Today managed by a local association, it embodies the island's collective memory, as evidenced by the issuance of a postal stamp in 2001 representing its entry. Its history reflects the administrative and social changes of this French island territory of North America.

Available sources, including Wikipedia and the Merimée base, highlight its heritage importance. The building, owned by the commune of Saint-Pierre, remains a symbolic place, open to the visit, and illustrates the adaptation of local infrastructures to the changing needs of the population, between public health, municipal management and historical preservation.

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