Main Cellblock

Its good functional design and very good craftsmanship and materials, for example:

• the massing and proportions of the structure;
• the three sections of the exterior elevations including, the north wing (B-2), the northeast wing (B-3), and the dome (B-1);
• the exterior stonework composed of enormous blocks of finely worked ashlar limestone laid in regular courses and the restrained Italianate detailing, including the tall arched windows, and cut-stone lug sills and voussoirs;
• the dome, including its square base with heavy stone walls and a convex, mansard roof topped by a roofed monitor;
• the roof assemblage of gently arched roof trusses;
• the interior cast-iron stairs and galleries and the surviving floor support system of shallow brick arches and cast-iron beams.

The manner in which the Main Cellblock is compatible with the present character of its penitentiary setting in Laval and is a community landmark, as evidenced by:

• its overall scale, design and materials, which are compatible with its adjacent buildings within the compound;
• its contribution as the main element that defines Saint-Vincent-de-Paul as an institution, owing to the mansard roof covering the dome, which is the only structural element visible from outside of the compound walls.