Have you ever noticed the tall brick-and-stone gatehouse keeping quiet watch over boulevard Exelmans? On the weekend of September 19 and 20, 2026, the capital comes alive for the43rd Heritage Days. Each fall, this major cultural event invites curious visitors to step inside places in Paris and throughout the Île-de-France region that are usually inaccessible or little known. This year, head to the 16th arrondissement to discover a site that sometimes piques the curiosity of passersby: the Exelmans barracks.
Built in the late 19th century, this military site is named after Rémy Joseph Isidore Exelmans, a Marshal of France and a major figure in the Napoleonic Wars. Originally intended to house cavalry troops tasked with monitoring western Paris, the site has endured through the ages, adapting its facilities to meet the needs of public safety. Long occupied by units of the gendarmerie and the Republican Guard, the barracks retains an operational role while also serving as home to the daily lives of military personnel stationed in the heart of the capital. Urban legends have it that old underground passages once linked the site’s cellars to the nearby quarries along the Seine, although no official records confirm the story.
Architecturally, Exelmans Barracks exemplifies the utilitarian, monumental style of the French Third Republic. This style is characterized by the disciplined alternation of red brick and light-colored dressed stone, large, rectilinear courtyards designed for troop formations, and elegant, steeply pitched slate roofs. Despite successive modernizations, the complex retains the austere, orderly silhouette of its original design, punctuated by its restored stables and symmetrical barracks buildings.
After law enforcement left, Exelmans Barracks took on a new life, hosting temporary urban regeneration initiatives and emergency accommodation, led in particular by associations such as Aurore. This austere military site was thus transformed into a space for mutual support, workshops and social diversity, illustrating the ability of heritage in the Île-de-France region to adapt to contemporary challenges.
A Visit to Exelmans Barracks
Visit to Exelmans Barracks
On the occasion of Heritage Days, Paris Habitat, in partnership with the CAUE, opens the doors of Exelmans Barracks on September 19 for two tours at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Three years were needed to transform this former gendarmerie barracks, built in 1909, into a mixed-use ensemble—a small neighborhood within the city—right in the heart of the 16th arrondissement. The program comprises:
• 50 new social housing units
• A 36-bed childcare center
• A Maternal and Child Protection center
• A 53-place shelter and social reintegration center
• A 26-unit Relais House, managed by the Aurore association.
With a guided tour by the CAUE, the Paris Habitat project management team, and the Brunnquell & André architecture firm, we invite you to discover how this program allows the barracks to reinvent itself. The site carries strong heritage value and has been preserved to showcase the architectural qualities of the buildings while adapting them to contemporary uses. This project fully aligns with Paris Habitat’s goals of expanding its new housing supply by making use of existing assets, while also promoting social diversity and housing for all audiences. Supported by a budget of 30 million euros, the project follows a sustainable logic that prioritizes de-mineralization, greener planting, and the reorganization of green spaces.
Beyond the additional housing, the challenge here is to reinvent management modalities. The aim is not to superimpose the different parts of the program but to link them, share them, and manage them collaboratively.
Registration is free but mandatory at: https://caue.pr-rooms.com/release.aspx?ID=229274
Participation conditions: Limited to 30 attendees - Free | Booking required - https://caue.pr-rooms.com/release.aspx?ID=229274
Schedule: Saturday, 19 September 2026 — 10:00–11:30, 14:00–15:30
This page may contain AI-assisted elements, more information here.
Dates and Opening Time
On September 19, 2026
Location
Exelmans Barracks
51 Boulevard Exelmans
75116 Paris 16
Route planner
