Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Samaritan is named after a historic water pump installed on Bridge Nine in the seventeenth century, decorated with a sculpture depicting the biblical encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan. This pump, designed under Henri IV and rebuilt by Robert de Cotte (1712-1719), provided the Louvre district with water before being demolished in 1813. The present department store was founded in 1870 by Ernest Cognacq, a former travelling seller, who turned a small shop on Rue de la Monnaie into a commercial empire.

Ernest Cognacq, inspired by the methods of the Bon Marché, developed La Samaritaine with his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ, former saleswoman of the Bon Marché. The store gradually expanded by purchasing the neighboring buildings, from 48 m2 in 1870 to 48 000 m2 in the 20th century. Architects Frantz Jourdain (Art Nouveau) and Henri Sauvage (Art Déco) shaped its iconic buildings, such as the rotundas with polychrome domes or enamelled lava facades, now partially classified.

Symbol of modernity, La Samaritaine became the largest Parisian store with its slogan "We find everything in La Samaritaine", popularized in the 1960s by bold advertisements (e.g. Queen Elizabeth II embodied by Huguette Funfrock). After a decline in trade from the 1970s, the store closed in 2005 for reasons of safety and profitability. Its reopening in 2021, after 16 years of work and 750 million euros of investment, marked its transformation into a mixed space combining luxury, catering and social housing.

The renovation project, carried by LVMH, was controversial because of the partial destruction of the architectural heritage (e.g. Art Deco facade of 1852). Despite the appeals of associations such as SOS Paris, the Conseil d'État finally validated the project in 2015. Today, La Samaritaine embodies both a historical heritage and a contemporary adaptation, with spaces dedicated to tourists (the Seine side) and Parisians (Rivoli side).

Interior architecture preserves original elements, such as the large staircase with 16,000 gold leaves or the 675 meters of restored enamelled lava. The site now includes a luxury Cheval Blanc hotel, offices, and 96 social housing units. His film history (e.g.: To the happiness of the ladies, Holy Motors) and his cultural appearances testify to his anchoring in the collective Parisian imagination.

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