To its fans, La Samaritaine – a vast art nouveau and art deco edifice on the banks of the Seine facing Pont Neuf – is one of the architectural delights of Paris, reports The Guardian.
Now the bulldozers are rumbling towards the former department store to destroy the last remaining parts of its historic facade, as campaigners make a last-ditch legal challenge to stop the demolition.
On Friday, judges postponed ruling on an appeal by locals and historians to revoke the building permit given to the luxury goods group LVMH – owned by France's richest man, Bernard Arnault. The group, whose brands include Louis Vuitton and Moët, is redeveloping the site.
The Paris administrative tribunal said the case needed to be decided by a larger college of judges, and it would announce its decision at the end of the month.
LVMH's €460m (£380m) plan for the site includes a luxury hotel, duty-free shop, designer stores and offices, as well as local authority apartments, a day centre and creche.
Three of the four facades were knocked down in February, reportedly immediately after judges said they would accept the opposition campaigners' legal case but failed to order a halt to demolitions. The fourth is scheduled for the same fate. LVMH said after Friday's decision: "For the moment, the work continues."
The company insists the facades have to go. A number of buildings forming part of the store and dating back to the 17th century have already been pulled down. The scheme has been backed by the new mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
Under designs drawn up by Japanese architects, the facades will be replaced with "a set of etched glass waves". Opponents say the new structure will look like a shower curtain.
Even before the store was closed in 2005 – apparently for safety reasons – it had seen better days.
Read more of this report from The Guardian.