Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Jézéquel house is an iconic building located on the Île aux Marins, in the archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. Originally, it was part of an industrial complex built by the Transatlantic General Company (CGT) in 1860, including a coopery, a bakery, a carpentry shop, and a green cod department store. The structure, imported from France around 1850, was used to build these buildings to support local fishing activities.

In 1872, the CGT sold parcels of the site, including part of the store, which later became the Jezéquel house. The latter was named after a family of fishermen from Kérity (Côtes-du-Nord, now Côtes-d'Armor), which was established in 1889. In the course of the successions, the house was divided in two in the north-south direction. In 1988, a third of its eastern part was demolished because of its degraded state, before it was bought and restored by the Association Saint-Pierre Animation (later the Association for the Protection of Heritage of the Archipelago).

Classified as a historic monument on May 16, 2014, Jézéquel House illustrates local life during the Great Fishing. Its ground floor housed technical facilities, such as an interior cabestan to climb the doris, while the floor served as a dwelling. An outside staircase, demolished in 1918 and rebuilt in 1988, served the floors and attic, used as a dormitory for seamen passing through. Today, the site hosts a summer cafeteria and part of the Archipelitude Museum, exhibiting elements related to fishing and sailing.

The last restorations, carried out between 2013 and 2014 as part of an integration project, have preserved this unique heritage. The house, with its outdoor cabestans and rails, remains a symbol of the maritime history of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, attracting many visitors every year.

The island of the Marins, where the house stands, was a strategic place for cod fishing, a major economic activity of the archipelago in the 19th and 20th centuries. Buildings such as this one played a central role in fish processing and storage, while providing accommodation for seasonal fishers. The transformation of this shop into a home reflects the changing uses and adaptation of infrastructure to the needs of local families, such as the Jezéquel.

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