Share
This fancy Belle Époque department store fell by the wayside almost two decades ago, its elaborate art nouveau ironwork and glass ceilings declared hazardous to public safety.
Bernard Arnault, head of the LVMH luxury group and the richest man in France, decided to lend a helping hand: in tandem with high-end retailers DFS, he forked out $US894 million ($1.2 billion) to restore the former beauty.
After seven years of restoration, La Samaritaine is back on track, bigger and better than before: its historic seven-storey edifice facing the Seine (and opposite the headquarters of LVMH) has been painstakingly restored, its curlicue ironwork reinforced, its trademark yellow enamel façade buffed back to brilliance.