[9] The store was closed on 15 June 2005, due to serious fire risk with the building needing urgent safety renovations.

[12][13] Work started again how there was still opposition to the new facades designed by Japanese architecture firm SANAA,[14] the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo supported the plans.

[15] After sixteen years of closure the department store was reopened to the public in June of 2021, now also co-branded as part of DFS.

[19] Jourdain's membership in multiple societies heavily influenced his personal architectural theory and design choices for the Samaritaine.

[21] The extended verticals of the domes, sectioned into eight sides, accentuate the height of the building and draw the viewer's eye to the top of the store.

[21] The facade of the building consists of ceramic panels in brightly colored hues of yellow, white, green, and gold.

[1] The word "Samaritaine", as well as some of the available merchandise and ware, are displayed around the facade of the building in colorful enamel using an elaborate lettering.

[1] The interior features decorative iron staircases, glass tile floors, and frescoes using the repeated floral motif.

[6] The goal of the department store is to move the consumer through the building and to its upper floors in order to maximize the number of counters an individual has to pass.

[6] The design and decor of the building played a major role in enticing the human desire for the consumption of material goods.

[6] Many of the structural elements utilized reference to the international exhibition halls built a few years before the original department stores.

[6] The skeletal steel structure allowed for a maximum square footage of glass windows which was intentionally located at the center of the building to bring in ample natural light.

[6] This would force consumers to move past all of the lower level departments before they reached their desired location, maximizing the opportunity for the individual to make an unplanned purchase.

[6] Once the Samaritaine consisted of four Magasins, the first was dedicated as a department store solely for women's clothing while the other three were for items such as supplies and tools.