La Samaritaine

Architecture Around the World

La Samaritaine Department Store
Paris, France

Built:
1903

Architect:
1903-1907 Frantz Jourdain
1933 Henri Sauvage

Style:
Art Deco

TEXT Beneath Illustrations

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Art Deco style	Art Deco geometric shapes		Reminiscent of of 1903-07 Art Nouveau styling

		Wall sconce	Main entrance from the inside

Interior	Interior	Interior	Interior

1903-07 Art Nouveau styling

		1903-07 Art Nouveau styling

	Skylight

The name La Samaritaine ("the Samaritan") comes from a hydraulic pump installed near the Pont Neuf, which operated from 1609 to 1813. The front of the pump featured a gilded bas-relief of the Good Samaritan.

For safety reasons, La Samaritaine closed down on 30 April 2005; the site is due to reopen in 2011

The store, a very small boutique, was first opened in 1869 by Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ. Through the steady acquisition of neighboring buildings, Ernest Cognacq regularly expanded what could no longer be called a "boutique." The surrounding city blocks were entirely reworked and reconstructed progressively from 1883 to 1933.

Between 1903 and 1907, this work was taken on by the architect Frantz Jourdain, who applied an Art Nouveau aesthetic to the building.. Further structural changes were successfully completed in 1933 by Henri Sauvage who, in his turn, reworked the architecture to reflect the aesthetic principles of Art Deco style. The result was an eleven-story department store, one that is today considered a historical monument.

- Wikipedia: La Samaritaine

Built:	1903
Architect:	1903-1907 Frantz Jourdain 1933 Henri Sauvage
Style:	Art Deco