Paris N' America Store

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Although inspired upon Paris?? great department stores, the floor plan of Paris N'América reproduces a traditional model of colonial architecture, with a shop on the ground floor and a residence on the upper floors. According to Bassalo, the owner of this building "imported from Paris the design for his majestic house serving both commercial and residential purposes". Its construction was conducted by "??Raimundo Viana [...] and by master builders Salvador and Mesquita, from 1906 to 1909".

Its structure is made of iron and its façade of stone, and all of these elements were imported, as well as the copings and the internal and external decoration: mirrors, light fixtures, porcelain lavatories, tiles and details on the façade, clock, ornaments and stained glass. Even the pavement outside the store came from Europe. The roof is made of slate tiles ? a stone widely used in France, particularly in Dijon ? also employed in other buildings of the time, such as Palacete Bolonha, in view of its decorative possibilities. On the stone façade, a tower-shaped volume stands out, as well as the clock, marking the buildingâ??s quoin.

The store Paris nâ??América features a mezzanine reached by a monumental staircase, one of the finest exemplars of pre-cast stairs manufactured by Scottish firm Walter MacFarlane existing in the Amazon Region. The elegance of this curved staircase, opening upon two bays and leaving a central hollow, is complemented by a bronze statue which, however, is not a part of the Scottish ensemble. On the mezzanine, equipped with elegant dressing rooms, fashion shows were prepared.

The upper floors, which used to be a residence, are reached through a lateral entrance. It features Eclectic decoration, with abundant mirrors and crystal chandeliers. The porcelain in the bathrooms were English, and the tiles were Belgian and Portuguese. The chandeliers and sconces are probably French.

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