[2][3] At the top of the forestair, the ironwork featured a trout, which formed part of the municipal coat of arms and which impressed the writer, John Ruskin, on a visit to the city.

Spanning the second and third floors, there was a tetrastyle portico formed by Ionic order columns supporting an entablature and a modillioned pediment, with a clock in the tympanum.

[7] The area in front of the building was used as a car park until 1995, when it was landscaped and a square overflowing water feature, designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, was installed in the centre.

[8] A major fire, caused by a fault in an electrical cabinet, led to extensive damage to the upper floors and roof of the building on the afternoon of 14 November 2019.

[9][10][11] An extensive programme of restoration works, intended to rectify the damage cased by the fire, is being commissioned, based on designs by Pierre-Louis Faloci, at a cost of €30 million.