Mille carré doré
Maison Alcan combined restored Golden Square Mile properties — Atholstan House, the Beique, the former Berkeley Hotel, the Holland House, as well as the Salvation Army's Montreal Citadel on Drummond Street — with a new aluminum-clad structure, known as the Davis Building. The Berkeley Hotel serves as the main entrance to the complex and its atrium, on Sherbrooke Street. According to the "La Presse" newspaper, Maison Alcan marked the first time a major corporation based in Montreal had sought to preserve historic properties as part of a new headquarters. In contrast to the controversial demolition of the nearby Van Horne Mansion, Maison Alcan preserved part of the architectural heritage of the Golden Square Mile.