The transformation of La Samaritaine

[kerouac2]

They are repaving the street between the different Samaritaine buildings.

imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/8096/kY2XR1.jpg

[kerouac2]

Covid-19 had other plans about La Samaritaine reopening in April 2020, so a new date has been set -- February 2021.  This is for two reasons:  1.  Many things are being changed to make the store Covid-compatible (or any future plagues that await us), notably things like the changing rooms, the restrooms and the width and layout of the aisles, and 2. The store is aimed at high-end Asian visitors and they won't be back in Paris until Februrary at the earliest.

So, they are taking their time with the finishing touches, particularly after the covid work interruption.

[tod2]

La Sanaritaine has special memories for me. With my mother in 2000 at lunch in their restaurant and with my husband a year or two later, showing him the incredible iron structure inside, whilst browsing the books section and buying another book on Paris.

I also really appreciate the photo of No.1 Pont Neuf building where some years later, we had lunch under the glass dome of Kong. A lovely experience. We were surrounded by cranes and work going on at La Sanaritaine.

You may know or maybe not know or simply forgotten why this enormous department store has the name Samaritaine. As I was brought up C of E, I dimly remember a story from the Bible about a Good Samaritan .
But this story is different.
When Ernest Cognacq,, a former draper's assistant at La Rochelle , first set up shop on rue du Pon-Neuf in 1867, he called it La Samaritan in memory of the old water pump situated at the Pont Neuf till the early 19th Century.
Fast forward 30 years. He commissions Franz Jourdain to put up a building to house a full-size department store, a structure of steel and glass in keeping with the progressive spitrit of the time.
It's now 1926 (my mother is 5 years old and her sister my Aunt Hazel Eulilie, just 3), Franz Jourdain and Henri Sauvage build the facade on the Quai du Louvre, one of the best examples of Art Deco in Paris.

In 1930 a new building was added to the corner of rue de Rivoli and rue Boucher , boasting an interesting frieze around it and an impressive staircase inside. All these bear witness to the golden age of department stores, which enabled modest men of genius to build small empires within a few decades. With help of his dynamic wife, Louise Jay, also a draper's assistant, from rue Rambuteau, Cognacq used his meteoric success to build up a fabulous art collection, now housed in the Musee Cognacq-Jay in the Marais.

So endith the epistle….

[kerouac2]

And Kong has remained open the entire time, which is pretty remarkable.

Do you know why the restaurant is called Kong? It's because of a very famous Samaritaine commercial from 1974.

[bixaorellana]

They have certainly created a very appealing shopping area and it's a pleasure to see the lovely old portions in their sleek new setting.

What lovely memories, Tod, harkening back to the grand days of department stores. And the background history is fascinating!

That commercial is really something, Kerouac! Even though Kong is too human-looking, the cast of thousands and the excellent direction is very convincing.

[kerouac2]

One interesting thing to notice in that commercial is the scene where Kong pushes over the crane. That is the original hole of the Les Halles building site when it really was just a huge hole.

[bjd]

A bit of stealing from Eisenstein and Battleship Potemkin!

[kerouac2]

Those are called homages and they are meant to be noticed, just like recognising the cheesy effects of the original King Kong movie from 1933 where the scale was wrong for everything.

[kerouac2]

La Samaritaine will reopen on June 23, 16 years after it was closed. Renovation cost a mere 750 million euros. I wonder if someone from Anyport will be able to make a report about this event.

[htmb]

You have my vote, Kerouac.

[tod2]

That is wonderful news! I got them to open today as it's Mr.Tods 75th birthday! Happy new birthday La Samaritaine!

[kerouac2]

And happy birthday to Mr.Tod. I won't go to La Samaritaine for a few days -- I imagine there will be far too many people.

[htmb]

Here’s an interesting Forbes article, too:

www.forbes.com/sites/kevinrozario/2021/06/21/after-a-16-year-wait-will-lvmhs-la-samaritaine-redefine-luxury-shopping-in-paris/?sh=424e1597126b

The cost of store items and nightly charges for the hotel boggle the mind. It will be interesting to see how many serious shoppers this place actually attracts in the short-term, before the Chinese tourists return to Paris. I also imagine the cost of real estate in this area will really skyrocket, making the apartment buildings to the east even more valuable.

Kerouac, somehow I just can’t see you wandering around the interior, snapping away with your trusty camera. Good luck.

[kerouac2]

So, today I took my trusty camera to the reborn La Samarataine. I arrived from the rue de Rivoli side, but I wanted to enter from the Seine side.









And I'm inside. Definitely not the same place. It used to be a "normal" department store. Not anymore.

[kerouac2]

Everybody immediately heads for the atrium with their photographic devices.













People can quench their expensive thirst up here.



It was still a bit too early for serious drinking in the absence of tourists.





Not too many places can call this the store brand.



On the "café" side there were plenty of people with hot drinks and viennoiseries.

[kerouac2]

Probably to replace the spectacular outdoor terrace, there is a truly amazing HD webcam showing the view of the Seine. I think the outdoor terrace is likely to return, but as part of the 5-star Cheval Blanc hotel in the building, which will open in September. Although I doubt that they would dare to filter access to such a viewpoint, I imagine that a lot of people will be too intimidated to enter.

another store brand





You don't need a crowd of customers to make a profit here, just a few.





Here's an interesting new item to buy from Louis Vuitton.





I can already imagine the Saudi princes riding their bikes through their air conditioned palaces between the bedroom and the dining room.

[kerouac2]

I have to say that the sales people were all totally charming and friendly. I'm sure they can't believe they work in such a place.





I went into the Rivoli building with the wavy glass.









place to get refreshments in that building, too



And I'm back out in the real world!





The project is far from complete because the Samaritaine complex consists of 5 buildings (all protected monuments) and just 2 have opened.





Ground floor space will reopen sooner. Uniqlo is ready.



And the 6th building is also being renovated -- the old Belle Jardinière department store (hence the BJ), which is LVMH corporate headquarters.

[tod2]

Oh you did such a splendid job Keroauc. I watched a YouTube video within hours of La Samaritaine opening, and you where right about holding back until now. It was a good attempt but went on repeating the same views over and over.
I loved the Art Neuveau balustrading and art work around the interior. Those peacocks were splendid. I have been trying to wrack my brains as to what the Restaurant was called when I took my mum there. I'm sure it was a bird name....
Thank you so much for the photos. I cant wait to get there!

[kerouac2]

Here is a report by an American vlogger whom I find consistently irritating, but she goes more deeply into some of the departments. And also it shows how totally tolerant they are of people filming and taking pictures. After all, it is totally free publicity.

[bjd]

In 2009 I took my sister up to the top of Samaritaine. We actually had a drink and slice of cake, but most people just seemed to go from one place to another taking photographs of the view.

Did you actually see anybody buy anything, Kerouac?

[fumobici]

Quite the Gilded Palace. And thank you for the report, they probably wouldn't let me in ha ha. At least the BHV is within walking distance for us mere mortals.

[lagatta]

I much prefer BHV.

[htmb]

Idk….BHV is a bit posh for my taste. Monoprix is more my style.

Nice pictures, Kerouac. Your trusty camera did you proud.

[kerouac2]

BHV had its total makeover in 2013 and became "BHV/Marais." Any affordable product disappeared at that time except for the hardware in the basement.

[patricklondon]

I've had the occasional homeware bargain from BHV sales, but I'd imagine just coffee and a cake at La Samaritaine is priced for the total experience.

Fond memories, though, of its founders' Musée Cognacq-Jay, which is [cough] free.

Many thanks for the photos.

(22000 euro for a bike?!)




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[bjd]

Jun 29, 2021 5:30:01 GMT patricklondon said:

(22000 euro for a bike?!)

The son of a friend of mine works for Louis Vuitton. Even their employees get only a miserable 10% discount. And when he once told his mother to choose herself something as a present that he would get for her with his discount, she told me, "But I don't even like their products!".

[patricklondon]

I'd doubt if the bike is even an LV "product" in any meaningful sense other than the branding.


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"too literate to be spam"

[kerouac2]

What I always enjoy is how the city of Paris can strongarm companies lie LVMH when they are seeking building permits. For the Samaritaine operation, the city demanded the inclusion of low income housing in the project. Although the average price of real estate in the neighbourhood is 13,800 euros per square metre, the city paid 4,250 euros per square metre with enough space to put 96 apartments, from studio to 4 bedrooms. 24 of the apartments are for ultra precarious social conditions, basically unemployed and almost homeless people. They were distributed according to strict emergency lodging rules, and the people did not even know exactly where they would be moving. The other apartments are "normal" low income house and have been given account according the the standard waiting lists. They are on the rue de l'Arbre Sec side, so they have views of the Louvre, the St. Germain l'Auxerrois church and the Eiffel Tower. I read that "the apartments have the same view as some of the 1000 euro suites in the hotel."

An article about the first residents, who arrived back in October, said that they had no idea where to get groceries and bread at first, but the building caretaker told them were to find everything. Actually, the streets between rue de Rivoli and the Forum des Halles still have plenty of ordinary little shops and a couple of superettes (but for how much longer?). La Samaritaine also has a crèche for 80 babies and almost as much office space as the store.

Apartment operations like this will continue because the law says that each area must have at least 25% social housing, and this brings the 1st arrondissement up to 11% (after being at only 4% in 2001).

[htmb]

Perhaps new food places will appear now there are more people needing groceries, but when I stayed in this area one summer the only store on the Seine side of rue de Rivoli selling food was a very tiny Franprix.

[kerouac2]

I saw thzt rue de Rivoli is already coming back to life but with all of the usual chain stores. There is even an Ikea home decoration store all of a sudden.