The building you see here below, just crossing Rue de Rivoli from the Louvre, Place Palais Royal (see previous post about Palais Royal), was originally built in 1852 to be a hotel, the “Grand Hôtel du Louvre”. In 1855, a department store was created on the ground floor, just a few years after the creation of “Le Bon Marché” (see previous post). It was a great success and soon the whole building was needed. The hotel moved to an adjacent building – where it still is. The department store closed in 1974. (The Société du Louvre, which was the owner, is still well alive with some 30 luxury hotels (Crillon, Concorde...) and some 800 economy hotels, the crystal manufacturer Baccarat, perfume business...) The building has since been transformed to contain some offices, but especially, on the ground floors, “Le Louvre des Antiquaires”, opening in 1978, with some 250 antique and art shops, playing on the higher level. If you have the time, it’s very pleasant to have a walk around; if you have the money, this is where you can buy a Picasso, a Daum vase, some Ming porcelain... or the antique Erard piano on the top picture.
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