Below additional information on the Samaritaine Department Store:

La Samaritaineis a largedepartment storein Paris, France, located in theFirst Arrondissement. The nearestmetrostation isPont-Neuf. It is currently owned byLVMH, aluxury-goodsmaker. The store, which had been operating at a loss since the 1970s, was finally closed in 2005 because the building did not meet safety codes. Plans for redeveloping the building involved lengthy complications, as the representatives of the stores founders argued with new owners LVMH over the buildings future as a department store or a mixed-use development.In 2010 it was finally announced that a Japanese firm had been chosen to redesign the building as a combination hotel/apartments/offices, with a small retail component.

The store was first opened in 1869 byErnest CognacqandMarie-Louise Jaÿ, his wife and incidentally the first clothing vendor atLe Bon Marché, a rival department store. Cognacq began his trade selling ties under an umbrella on the Pont Neuf, then took a space on therue de la Monnaie, starting out on a small scale with a very small boutique. By 1900, the couple had decided to expand their enterprise, giving birth to the large edifice seen today, the "Grands Magasins de La Samaritaine".

Inspired by the commercial methods ofAristide Boucicautto those of Le Bon Marché, Ernest Cognacq drew upon various sources in organizing the ideal (and ideally managed) department store. Cognacq arranged La Samaritaine as a collection of individually owned stores, each managed by true "petits patrons" who operated in concert yet autonomously.

Through the steady acquisition of neighboring buildings, Ernest Cognacq regularly expanded what could no longer be called a "boutique". The surrounding city blocks were entirely reworked and reconstructed progressively from 1883 to 1933. (Notably, between 1903 and 1907, this work was taken on by the architectFrantz Jourdain, who applied anArt Nouveauaesthetic to the building.) Further structural changes were successfully completed in 1933 byHenri Sauvagewho, in his turn, reworked the architecture to reflect the aesthetic principles ofArt Déco. The result was an eleven-story department store, one that is today considered a historical monument.

La Samaritaine was bought in 2001 byLVMH, the luxury-goods company that had just previously purchasedLe Bon Marché. On 15 June 2005, in order to update the 19th-century building to modern standards of security, or for purposes ofrestructuring, as the labor unions believe, the department store was closed.[3]LVMH selected the Japanese architectural firmSANAAto renovate the building. Implementation of the new design has been blocked a number a times by local authorities for failure to adhere to planning requirements and for lack of visual compatibility with the surrounding buildings.

The nameLa Samaritaine("the Samaritan Woman") comes from a hydraulic pump installed near thePont Neuf, which operated from 1609 to 1813. The front of the pump featured a gildedbas-reliefof theSamaritan Womandrawing water for Jesus at the well as described in the fourth chapter ofJohns Gospel. Cognacqs original stand was on the former site of this structure.

The store was well known for its rooftop café, which afforded excellent views of the city.

La Samaritaine featured in the 1991 filmLes Amants du Pont-Neufand part of the 2012 filmHoly Motorsis set in and around the shell of the building; both directed byLeos Carax.The rooftop cafe of La Samaritaine and a short clip of Pont Neuf also feature in the 2002 movie The Bourne Identity, directed by Doug Liman and starring Matt Damon