La Samaritaine

LaSamaritaine is claimed to be the largest department store in Paris, and its main building is an Art Nouveau structure of outstanding quality with a spectacular galleried interior, designed by Frantz Jourdain (1837-1935) between 1903 and 1910. The present stone-faced exterior, in a more sober style, was added in 1924 to the design of H Sauvage (1873-1932). Features of the store are a rooftop café on the tenth floor which gives excellent views of the centre of Paris, and an even higher but small viewing platform on the eleventh floor. The building was closed for security reasons in 2005 but is expected to re-open as a department store in due course.