Located on the heights of Bar-le-Duc, the former Hôtel du Département de la Meuse was home to the teaching school. It was built in 1884 based on a design by the architect Alexandre Micault, in neoclassical style with a symmetrical plan. After various changes of use, the building was finally chosen by the Conseil Général de la Meuse to house the future headquarters of the department.
In January 1988 a competition was announced which led to the appointment of the architect Dominique Perrault, a year before he was entrusted with the construction of the National Library of France in Paris. For the architect it was a matter of renovating the existing building and associating it with a contemporary extension on a new underground level at the rear, where the council chamber is located, illuminated by a glass roof that filters natural light. The works were completed in 1994.