Ville de Paris (department store)

Ville de Paris was a department store in Downtown Los Angeles from 1893 through 1919. 

History
French emigre Auguste Fusenot (French Consul in Los Angeles 1898–1907) arrived in the U.S. in 1873 and soon became a partner in San Francisco's City of Paris store.  After learning the business, he founded the Ville de Paris in Los Angeles in 1893.   It was operated by the A. Fusenot Co. as a dry goods store.  It was located at 221–223 S. Broadway between 2nd and 3rd streets, at a time when most stores were located in the Central Business District around Spring, Main, First and Temple streets.  The original store measured .  

In 1904, the store relocated to a space 32 times larger (), a block away in the Homer Laughlin Building, at 317–325 S. Broadway, extending all the way back through to 314–322 Hill Street.  

In 1907, Auguste Fusenot died and brother Georges took over management of the store. 

In 1915, Fusenot sold his business to the owners of The Emporium (San Francisco), and in 1917 the Ville de Paris removed to 7th and Olive streets; the space on Broadway has since been occupied by the Grand Central Market. 

In 1919 the owners sold the 7th and Olive store to B. H. Dyas, and that the store became B. H. Dyas Co., which itself closed around 1930.  The Seventh and Olive building is now occupied by the Los Angeles Jewelry Mart, a constituent of what is now the Jewelry District, part of the Historic Core district. 

References

Category:Defunct department stores based in Greater Los Angeles