Exterior view

Jourdain’s design of the Art Nouveau department store in Paris was radical in its use of glass and an exposed steel frame. The brilliantly coloured building was lavishly decorated in a naturalistic ornament. Despite its appearance, the building was rational, serving perfectly the function for which it was designed. Within a decade, however, La Samaritaine was caught in an abrupt shift in taste that rejected Art Nouveau and was regarded with contempt, especially by younger architects. In the late 1920s, the building was enlarged, remodelled drastically, and its striking projecting glass domes and colourful ornament removed.

After a restoration that lasted 15 years, the building reopened in 2021. It comprises an ensemble of decorative buildings designed by architects Frantz Jourdain and Henri Sauvage. An important part of the project was the restoration of the existing Art Nouveau and Art Deco building closest to the Seine, which is listed as a historical monument. This included restoring its cast-iron signs, ceramic decorations, decorative pillars and the original multicoloured enamel tile facades hidden under a stone-coloured wash. Inside the same building, its staircase-filled atrium that is crowned by a rectangular glass roof built in 1905 has been restored to its former glory.

Other parts of the mixed-used complex were remodelled and refurbished to bring them to modern-day standards.

The photo shows the original fa�ade, restored in 2021.