Constructed in 1725 on a lot belonging to French Protestant merchant Pierre du Calvet, this structure is Montreal's finest existing example of a traditional urban residence. Typical elements include unadorned fieldstone walls, firebreaks (the part of the wall extending beyond the roof as a shield against flying sparks), corner consoles, tall chimneys incorporated into large gables, and a pitched roof unrelieved by dormers. The third level, with three small windows, evokes the mansard roofs introduced by the Loyalists. The interior, today renovated as an inn with a public dining room, features beamed woodwork characteristic of the 18C. Pierre du Calvet (1735-86), who came to Montreal in 1758, was the house's most infamous resident. He offered his services to the British in 1760 and to the Americans in 1775. These shifts of allegiance endeared him to no one, and he was imprisoned for treason in 1780. After his release in 1784, he set sail for London to appeal this punishment. His ship was wrecked on the return voyage and he was drowned.