La Samaritaine (French pronunciation: ​[la samaʁitɛn]) was a large department store in Paris, France, located in the First Arrondissement. It is currently owned by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Henessy), a luxury-goods maker. 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 store’s founders argued with new owners LVMH over the building’s future as a department store or a mixed-use development. Samaritaine is decorated in Art Nouveau style and is really beautiful!