Reopening of La Samaritaine

Now that Paris is fully open, including stores, museums, live theater, cinema, and restaurants and cafes, I am catching up on my to do list. In the past week I’ve been to a number of cultural events, exhibitions, and cafes, and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. 

Last Wednesday I visited the newly reopened La Samaritaine on rue de Rivoli, near the Louvre. Once the Art Nouveau jewel in the crown of Paris department stores, La Samaritaine was bought by the LVMH Group in 2001, and shuttered in 2005 for building safety issues. 

La Samaritaine was started by the husband-and-wife team of Ernest Cognacq and Mary Louise Jay in 1869 as a small dry goods shop and who later turned it into a major department store with over 90 departments. (The Cognacq Jay Musem in the Marais houses the fabulous furniture and antique collection they amassed). Price tags on each item and the freedom to easily browse the store were some of the advantages La Samaritaine had over other shops. In 1910 a new building on rue de Monnaie was built to accommodate the fast expanding La Samaritaine empire. Designed by architect Frantz Jourdain, who designed an impressive Art Nouveau showcase, the Art Nouveau style soon fell out of favor, and in the 1920s, there was yet another expansion which was built in the more streamlined Art Deco style. 

After a number of fits and starts to redesign La Samaritaine, finally approval was given by the city of Paris to rebuild the store and to also add a hotel, offices, affordable housing, a day care center, and restaurants. The Japanese architectural firm Sanaa, winner of the 2010 Pritzker architecture prize, was chosen for the project. 

The new building on rue de Rivoli, with a modern façade of curved glass, is a stark contrast to the reconstructed store on the other side. I entered from the rue de Rivoli side and was underwhelmed by the generic sameness of the merchandise and design, realizing that I could have been in other city in the world and had the same experience. 

Walking through the store, I arrived at the main building and was now impressed by the restoration. I looked up and marveled at the impeccably restored, rounded iron balconies with staircases jutting out of them. I took the escalator to the top floor to closely view the stunning murals of peacocks speckled with gold and pale blue ironwork with inlaid gold, mosaic tiles. 

I walked down the stairways to browse the different fashion departments and found the expected luxury brands such as Chanel, Dior, Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, and Hermes, but surprisingly Louis Vuitton was missing, considering that it’s owned by the LVMH Group. 

I read that the cosmetics department, located on the lower level, was the largest in Europe. The gargantuan department ran the length of both buildings and had dozens of luxury skin care and cosmetic brands, some which were unknown to me. The Christian Louboutin counter was a standout with its amusing display of lipsticks and nail polish. 

There’s also the Lou Lou shop on the ground floor which is a potpourri of apparel, objets, and home design goods curated by French fashion and style icon Lou Lou De Falaise. 

On the main floor are two casual cafes, an outpost of the popular Maison Plisson, and Ernest, a fusion between the popular bakery Eric Kayser and Michelin-starred chef Naoëlle d'Hainaut. On the top floor is Voyage, a contemporary restaurant and cocktail bar with a seasonal driven menu. 

La Samaritaine offers architecture and history, 90-minute group tours in English and French several times a week for 15€ a person. 

9 Rue de la Monnaie, 75001

https://www.dfs.com/en/samaritaine

Comments

[Edward Daniels]

I remember a restaurant on the top floor with great views of the Seine and the Eiffel Tower....is that still there?

[Raenette De Cicco]

the colors are bright and the white is very white..the 5th floor resturant is too dark. i was surprised how easy entrance was and walkable areas. It is really for duty free shopping..