Samaritaine, a part of parisian history
In the heart of Paris and at the foot of the Pont-Neuf, shopping at Samaritaine has always sparked a new and much sought-after experiences. Parisians were hopeful during the economic growth of the Second Empire and Samartaine became a symbol of progress for the country and its people.
Le cœur de Paris
At the end of the 19th century, Les Halles were the belly of Paris, La Samaritaine was its heart. Louvre, Pont-Neuf, Rivoli, Île de la Cité, all of Paris has always flocked to the foot of La Samaritaine. People come to stroll along the Seine, discover the new department stores, meet in cafes, kiss under the chestnut trees. The soul of Paris beats here with this heterogeneous crowd, both bourgeois and popular. La Samaritaine vibrates to the rhythm of influences from around the world. It is at the center of the golden triangle of culture, fashion, and creation. Young, vibrant, and sexy, it attracts the whole world. Today, as yesterday, everyone meets at La Samaritaine.
Popular spirit
“You’ll find everything at Samaritaine!” This famous slogan has always brought a sense of excitement to the hearts of Parisians. The store stood out from other department stores with its pioneering spirit. Everyone wanted to shop at the Samaritaine because a visit to the store meant good times and unforgettable memories.
La mode
Paris, 1855. A young saleswoman in a new department store, Marie-Louise was passionate about fashion: dressing women, selling and creating simple and affordable designs for everyone. Years later, she realized her dream. At La Samaritaine, fashion is within everyone’s reach. Always at the forefront, Marie-Louise innovates. Parisian women can now try on, exchange, order from a catalog, have items delivered to their homes. They are advised, pampered, new items arrive every day, and all families have rights. Ladies, this store is yours. La Samaritaine becomes the temple of women’s fashion. Today, faithful to this passion, La Samaritaine reopens its doors to fashion, creation, and to Parisians from all over the world.
Samaritaine has always embraced a groundbreaking and revolutionary spirit, constantly surprising us with its fun and cheeky advertisements, spectacular events, and its lights on the Seine. Samaritaine has always shone with creativity and humor to convey its festive and cheerful atmosphere. It continues to remain in the imagination of Parisians, from its features in iconic films of the past alongside King Kong, the Queen of England and even a pink elephant.
Ahead of its times
To grow and keep quiet. To the right, Le Parisien, Radio, behind you the City of Human Freedoms. Receiving the Chaillot pallets, it was built for the 1889 exhibition. In the distance, you can see Montmartre and the Pont de l’Alma. And in front of you, happiness without… [Applause] Paris, ladies and gentlemen, if you don’t know how to swim, take the metro. The Louvre, Châtelet, Pont-Neuf stations serve.
The lengend of Cognacq-Jaÿ
Ernest Cognacq and Marie-Louise Jaÿ created a milestone in the history of commerce. The couple created a commercial empire with a reputation that went far beyond the borders of France. The tremendous success of Samaritaine was derived from the boundless energy of the legendary couple. From humble beginnings, they were a remarkable example of upward social mobility. Hardworking and organized, Ernest was nicknamed “Father Laborem,” Latin for “through work” and Marie-Louise was known to be just as determined and persevering as Ernest.
Ernest first set up his shop at Pont Neuf. Situated near the Halles market and opposite the department store ‘La Belle Jardinière,’ the area was frequently visited by pedestrians crossing the bridge every day. The area drew an interesting crowd with intriguing stories. His shop quickly became a popular destination in the neighborhood and Ernest soon decided that it was the right location for him to continue to expand and develop his business.
Together with Marie-Louise, Ernest decided to open a boutique of dressmaking at the corner of rue de la Monnaie and Pont Neuf. Its name was “Samaritaine.” It was a great success; hundreds of customers visited the boutique and Samaritaine was the start of a great adventure.
Coup de foudre
La Samaritaine is the story of a passion. Ernest and Marie-Louise, two provincials aged 15, came to Paris in the 19th century, full of dreams. It was the boom of commerce, the gamble of department stores. Ernest sold fabrics on the Pont Neuf, Marie-Louise was the first saleswoman in a new department store. From their love at first sight and their audacity, a small shop of 47 square meters opened in 1870, on which these visionary geniuses would build an empire. In the 20s, the store spread over 47,000 square meters and employed 8,000 people. A French success story.
Architecture
Avant-garde architecture. From the beginning, Samaritaine stood out thanks to the innovative ideas of architects Frantz Jourdain and Henri Sauvage. Driven by a wind of modernity, Ernest Cognacq and Marie-Louise Jaÿ dreamed of an innovative temple dedicated to the active Parisian.
The renovation. The legendary Parisian department stores’ is to be reborn over a period of several years with its Art Deco and Art Nouveau decorations. Today, as in the past, Samaritaine surprises with its modernism and ultra-innovative façade.
Samaritaine, a part of parisian history. In the heart of Paris, at the foot of the Pont-Neuf, the Samaritaine is an emblematic figure. During the Second Empire, it became a symbol of progress and offered a unique and sought-after shopping experience.
Major dates
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To draw water from the River Seine to supply the nearby Louvre quarter, French King Henri IV commissions the engineer Jean Lintlaër to construct a pump house at the second arch of the Pont-Neuf bridge. Completed in 1607, the structure is decorated with a statue of “La Samaritaine”, the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well in St. John’s Gospel. Restored several times, and rebuilt in 1772, the pump house and its statue are dismantled in 1813, to be replaced by a floating public swimming pool complex.
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Ernest Cognacq opens a shop in Rue du Pont-Neuf, and calls it La Samaritaine. The shop’s revenues top one million francs in 1875.
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Ernest Cognacq marries Marie-Louise Jaÿ, previously the lead female sales assistant in the dressmaking section of the department store Le Bon Marché.
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Ernest Cognacq gradually acquires property in the northern section of a block bordered by Rue de la Monnaie, Rue Baillet, Rue de l’Arbre-Sec and Rue des Prêtres-Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, and converts the existing buildings into retail space. On the southern side of the block, he commissions architect Frantz Jourdain to design and construct a building with a riveted steel frame supporting a huge glass roof, decorated in the Art Nouveau style. The northern and southern sections are unified via steel and glass facades adorned with polychrome glazed lava stone panels.
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In 1917, Frantz Jourdain is commissioned to build a luxury store for La Samaritaine on boulevard des Capucines. The building also houses Ernest Cognacq’s collections of eighteenth-century art, donated to the City of Paris on his death, and displayed at the Cognacq-Jaÿ Museum today.
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Architect Henri Sauvage supervises the construction of the tiered Art Deco building on the banks of the Seine. Ernest Cognacq dies in 1928, before the new project is completed. In 1925, the store’s sales pass the one-billion-franc mark. These are La Samaritaine’s glory days: as well as offering the very latest trends in men and women’s fashions, drapery, interior decoration, travel goods, flowers and plants, books, musical instruments and more, the store now features pastry and confectionery counters, a renowned wine cellar, and a “regions of France” department that allows customers to taste the very best products from across the country. Parisians enjoy the grand parades and festivals that take place at the store throughout the year. Everyone knows and loves “La Samar”, as celebrated by the poet André Suarès in 1934
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LVMH acquires a 55% interest in Samaritaine.
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Samaritaine closes for safety reasons, after the Paris Préfecture de Police finds that the building does not meet required standards.
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Consultations take place with the City of Paris, with the aim of developing a new complex combining a department store, offices, social housing units, a hotel and a crèche. Replacing the previous department store with a mixed-use scheme was the only way to safeguard and enhance the site’s architectural and decorative heritage while ensuring compliance with demanding safety standards.
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The Japanese architectural firm Sanaa is commissioned to provide the overall design for the new Samaritaine, including a new building on Rue de Rivoli.
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LVMH acquires 100% of the shares in Samaritaine.
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Technical studies are carried out, government permits obtained, and preliminary works for the restoration project completed.
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Construction work carried out on all Samaritaine buildings.
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Samaritaine reopens to the public.
The logo
The Samaritaine logo, its 150 years of history and architecture. A unique architecture, Art Nouveau, Art Deco. Stylistically, our architects. The Art Nouveau exuberance of Jourdain and the asymmetry of Courtois. Wild, fantasy and geometry, the logo on the evolution of the buildings. The letter of characters that style themselves over time to the sleek, elegant and chic, sober and refined aesthetic of today. Backed by the letters, a hybrid arch reinforces additional references to the wild buildings by deposit. The logo is also the glamour of a magical address. Paris Pont Neuf, Paris Pont Neuf, the oldest of the Parisian bridges. The union of the two banks of the Seine, right bank, left bank, free, inspiring, playful, rooted in history and looking towards the future. The logo is declined, shared, animated, twisted, always in motion, a tribute to heritage. The Samaritaine logo lives up to the myth.
New Samaritaine Identity
The Samaritaine logo reinvents itself! Its curves and elegant aesthetics pay a tribute to the iconic architecture of an unmissable address at the heart of Paris. A timeless bond between the two banks of the river Seine that reveals the multiple facets of our beloved Paris.
Gray and yellow. Yellow and gray. This glorious duo has been living in harmony for 150 years at Samaritaine and has never grown out of style.
La Samaritaine style changes with the seasons, transformed by the hands of artists to remain perpetually chic, free and offbeat like a true Parisian. It gets stretched, twisted and reshaped to reveal new facets at every turn. It’s a style with a life of its own.
The colors
Yellow and grey. The color of the sun and the roofs of Paris, but above all, the historical colors of La Samaritaine. Yellow from the Jourdain frescoes, enamel ceramics and gold leaf that illuminate La Samaritaine. Or grey covering the Eiffel structures inside the store, a light bluish metal grey exalting the sparkling, intense and generous orange yellow. Yellow and grey, fire and ice, an inseparable and complementary duo of colors for 150 years.
The style
The Samaritaine pattern, a motif with character. Chic, free, and unconventional like a Parisian woman. Both Art Deco, Art Nouveau, not contemporary. A sharp-angled Art Deco arch frames the “S” that repeats rhythmically. A vegetal motif drawn from the roots of Art Nouveau. Conveying sensitivity and emotion, the pattern is vibrant, rich, creative, and modern. It’s a living pattern that is offered to today’s artists. It evolves constantly, nothing fixed, nothing secret. It’s by transgressing the “S” that we respect it. The pattern twists, the pattern is a gourmet delight. Urban, brilliant, cosmopolitan, rock, red, white, fun, the pattern everywhere.
