2004 photos - La Samaritaine Department Store
Paris, France
Original store: |
1869 |
Art Nouveau redesign: |
1903 |
Art Deco redesign: |
1933 |
Department store closed: |
2005, the year after these photographs were taken |
Name origin: |
"The name La Samaritaine ("the
Samaritan Woman") 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 Samaritan Woman drawing water for Jesus at
the well as described in the fourth chapter of John's Gospel." - Wikipedia (Jan. 2012) |
TEXT Beneath Illustrations
Art Deco style |
Art Deco geometric shapes |
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Reminiscent of of 1903-07 Art Nouveau styling |
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Wall sconce |
Main entrance from the inside |
Interior |
Interior |
Interior |
Interior |
1903-07 Art Nouveau styling |
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1903-07 Art Nouveau styling |
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Skylight |
The store, a very small boutique, was first opened in 1869 by Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Ja˙. 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.
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