La Samaritaine

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox building La Samaritaine (French pronunciation: [la samaʁitɛn]) is a large department store in the first arrondissement of Paris, France.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> The nearest metro station is Pont-Neuf. Established in 1870 by Ernest Cognacq, it is now owned by the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH.<ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

1870–1930s: Early years and expansion

In 1870 Ernest Cognacq opened La Samaritaine, on the corner of Rue du Pont-Neuf and Rue de la Monnaie.<ref name=":7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1872 Cognacq married Marie-Louise Jaÿ, and they began to manage the store together.<ref name=":6" />

The interiors of magasin one (magasin means "store" in French) were redesigned in 1891, and the project was overseen by architect Frantz Jourdain.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":0" /> He also designed magasin two, which opened in 1910.<ref name=":6" /> Much of magasin two had been pre-fabricated, allowing the construction to occur rapidly.<ref name=":0" /> Magasin one's façade was also updated to match magasin two.<ref name=":0" />

By the time the store's remodel and expansion was finished in 1910 the style of the new buildings were outdated and when the decision was made to expand in the 1920s city officials allowed for the expansion only if specifications of the city were followed (these specifications centred around a more current architectural style). This was done with little opposition from Cognacq and Jourdain as both were aware that now magasin one and two were outdated in style.<ref name=":0" />

Between 1926 and 1928, Jourdain and Henri Sauvage worked together designing the stores extension towards the river Seine.<ref name=":6" /> By the end of this partnership the Samaritaine was made up of four buildings and was eleven floors in height.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite journal</ref>

In 1930 and 1932 two expansions were completed designed by Jourdain.<ref name=":6" />

Plan of the store buildings (2013)

1970s–present: Decline, closure and reopening

From the 1970s the company's profits began to decline.Template:Citation needed

Samaritaine was a founding anchor store at Le Quarte Temps in 1981, however the store was closed two years later.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Since 1990 the buildings have been listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.<ref name="merimee">Template:Base Mérimée Grands magasins de la Samaritaine</ref>

A majority stake in La Samaritaine was purchased by LVMH in 2001.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The store was closed on 15 June 2005, due to serious fire risk with the building needing urgent safety renovations.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> However labour unions believed it was because of a restructure of the store.Template:Citation needed

LVMH purchased remaining shares in the department store from the Cognacq-Jay foundation in late 2010, with this they had full ownership of the department store.<ref name=":5" /> The redevelopment was planned to begin in 2011.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In January 2015 work on the store was halted again after building permission was revoked by a French Court.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Work started again how there was still opposition to the new facades designed by Japanese architecture firm SANAA,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo supported the plans.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After sixteen years of closure the department store was reopened to the public in June of 2021, now also co-branded as part of DFS.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The store was reopened by French President Emmanuel Macron and CEO of LVMH, Bernard Arnault.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The buildings now include a Cheval Blanc hotel, nursery, offices and social housing.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

As of 2024 the store is struggling to attract customers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Building design and style

Art Nouveau façade

Jourdain's membership in multiple societies heavily influenced his personal architectural theory and design choices for the Samaritaine.<ref name=":0" /> Jourdain was the president of the Societe du Nouveau during the height of the Art Nouveau movement. The building's original design heavily embodies the ideals of this artistic style.<ref name=":0" /> While the skeletal structure of the department store is constructed of steel and glass, the building contains many applied adornments which lessen the harshness of its rigid structure.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref> The building's exterior has two domes made of glass brick that light up in the nighttime.<ref name=":3" /> The extended verticals of the domes, sectioned into eight sides, accentuate the height of the building and draw the viewer's eye to the top of the store.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite journal</ref> The facade of the building consists of ceramic panels in brightly colored hues of yellow, white, green, and gold.<ref name=":0" /> The word "Samaritaine", as well as some of the available merchandise and ware, are displayed around the facade of the building in colorful enamel using an elaborate lettering.<ref name=":2" /> Dispersed around these signs are colorful naturalistic flower motifs, which continue to the interior design of the building as well.<ref name=":0" /> The interior features decorative iron staircases, glass tile floors, and frescoes using the repeated floral motif.<ref name=":2" /> These elements encompass both ornament and functionality which are core principles of the Art Nouveau movement.<ref name=":2" /> The foundational ideas of Art Nouveau, and the Samaritaine, led the way to the modern movements of the 1920s.<ref name=":0" />

The department store as a type and consumerism

Template:Cleanup The main fundamental difference that distinguishes the department store from other stores is its offering of low-priced, mass-produced goods of a wide variety.<ref name=":4" /> Prices were able to be placed just slightly above wholesale as the volume of sales was able to compensate for the small margin.<ref name=":4" /> Typically, department stores are located centrally within a city and are in close proximity to transportation.<ref name=":4" /> Different department stores targeted people of different class distinctions.<ref name=":4" /> However, their main audience is the middle-class city dwellers who were highly conscious of their status.<ref name=":4" /> The Samaritaine, in particular, targeted the working class who constantly traveled through the first arrondissement for work.<ref name=":4" /> The goal of the department store is to move the consumer through the building and to its upper floors in order to maximize the number of counters an individual has to pass.<ref name=":0" /> This posed as a bit of a challenge as their target audience was so used to shopping along the street level at various small boutiques.<ref name=":4" /> Architects had to entice these shoppers by utilizing grand and decorative elements to allure consumers to explore the building.<ref name=":0" />

Features

The department store is constantly changing to keep up with the architectural trends, yet remains somewhat constant in its appearance as a building type.<ref name=":4" /> The design and decor of the building played a major role in enticing the human desire for the consumption of material goods.<ref name=":4" /> The common use of iron allowed for minimal skeletal structure and therefore maximized the amount of light that could flow through the interior and allowed more room for the circulation of customers.<ref name=":4" /> Many of the structural elements utilized reference to the international exhibition halls built a few years before the original department stores.<ref name=":4" /> Another common feature is the monumental stair design, a design element of the first department store, Bon Marche.<ref name=":4" /> It was later installed in the Samaritaine as well as other department stores constructed at the turn of the century.<ref name=":4" /> The Samaritaine also had the common department store design feature: the light court.<ref name=":4" /> The skeletal steel structure allowed for a maximum square footage of glass windows which was intentionally located at the center of the building to bring in ample natural light.<ref name=":4" /> The glazed corner rotunda became another crucial element of Parisian department store architecture.<ref name=":0" /> It served as a large space for display cases that could be seen by many pedestrians waiting on the street corner.<ref name=":0" /> The corner rotunda was also utilized as the entrance of the building, leaving the consumer with two options of vastly-stretching display windows upon entering the building.<ref name=":0" /> Finally, the use of a dome structure, and their strategic placement, was useful in identifying the department store as a type.<ref name=":0" /> The two domes of the Samaritaine create a sight line between the Seine and the left bank.<ref name=":3" />

Consumerism

The organization of each individual department within the stores is based on consumption patterns.<ref name=":4" /> For example, impulse items, such as jewelry and cosmetics, were placed on the street floor.<ref name=":4" /> This would encourage consumers to make quick impulse buys upon entering or right before leaving the store.<ref name=":4" /> Also, demand items, such as children's clothing or household goods, were located on the upper levels.<ref name=":4" /> This would force consumers to move past all of the lower level departments before they reached their desired location, maximizing the opportunity for the individual to make an unplanned purchase.<ref name=":4" /> Once the Samaritaine consisted of four Magasins, the first was dedicated as a department store solely for women's clothing while the other three were for items such as supplies and tools.<ref name=":0" />

References

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External links

• Official website