"The new Samaritaine" Top 5 Page for this destination Paris Things to Do Tip by Nemorino

At street level on one of the empty Samaritaine buildings on Rue de Rivoli, a block-long mural describes the development of this part of Paris from the middle ages to the present. The slogan in huge blue handwriting reads: Le quartier en mouvement meaning “The quarter in motion”.

The idea is to show that there were big changes in this neighborhood in various centuries, like the 17th, 19th and 20th, so people shouldn’t get upset about the big changes that are coming in the 21st.

The mural is full of promises about what “The New Samaritaine” will have to offer: urban ecology, economic attractiveness, job creation, preservation of the architectural patrimony, transparency, high environmental quality, social equity and the creation of a new open passageway with a view of the Seine.

Few people believe any of this, which is why the developers are going to such lengths to promote their project. A widespread opinion is that the developers want to destroy the old façades and build a high-profit luxury hotel on this site, with a few minor ecological and social components thrown in as a sop.

Second photo: An old photo on the mural shows the gigantic demolition project that was carried out in 1848 for the purpose of making a wide new street, the rue de Rivoli. (Victor Hugo was opposed to this at the time, and in retrospect I think he was right.)

Third photo: Some more old photos show the construction of building number 2 of the Samaritaine, in the year 1905.

Fourth photo: A Samaritaine advertising poster from the year 1882.

Fifth photo: The promotion office of the New Samaritaine project.

Address: 19 Rue Monnaie, 75001 Paris
Directions:
Vélib' 1010
Location on the Vélib' map
Métro Pont Neuf, line 7
Website: http://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/services/distribution/20110518trib000622585/lvmh-devoile-enfin-son-projet-pour-la-samaritaine.html