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Overview

The notable department store Ville de Paris, originally a branch of the famed City of Paris store operating in San Francisco, stood on West 7th Street, across the street from the Los Angeles Athletic Club and down the street from the Lankershim Building. This third location operated only a short time,

Building History

The Los Angeles architectural firm of Dodd and Richards designed this six-floor department store for the Emporium Department Store chain of San Francisco. The Emporium purchased the Ville de Paris in 1915, buying it from the Fusenot Family. French immigrant Auguste Fusenot (1850-1907) settled in San Francisco, CA, and became associated with Felix and Emile Verdier's City of Paris Store there. In 1893, Fusenot opened the first "Ville de Paris" Dry Goods Store in Los Angeles, a branch of the San Francisco City of Paris Store, at 221–223 South Broadway. Fusenot divested his interest in the San Francicsco store and gained full control of the Los Angeles outlet in 1897. He remained here for about 11 years, when he moved his operation to much larger quarters in the seven-year-old Homer Laughlin Building in 1904. Auguste Fusenot also formally incorporated the store in 1904, bringing in several long-time employees as new stockholders.

Plans for this third store were announced in the Builder and Contractor on 11/16/1916 (p. 14).

In 1919, the Ville de Paris Department Store was sold to B.H. Dyas and Company, a sporting goods store that had previously operated in a smaller space nearby. Dyas maintained operations until the onset of the Depression, when it closed.

In later years, the building housed the Los Angeles Jewelry Mart.

It became known as the "7th and Olive Building" in about 2019.

Building Notes

The family philanthropy, the Georges and Germaine Fusenot Charity Foundation, whose mission has been "...to enrich the lives and lifestyle of Californians and their guests by providing funding grants to state-based non-profit organizations," continued to operate in 2019.

Alteration

The first-floor storefronts were renovated between 2016 and 2019. City Constructors, Incorporated, worked as the Building Contractor for this renovation.