City of Paris Dry Goods Co.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (department store) |
| Founded | May 1850 |
| Founder | Felix Verdier, Emile Verdier |
| Defunct | March 1972 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California , United States |
Area served | San Francisco Bay Area, California |
| Products | Department store goods, luxury items, French wines |
City of Paris Dry Goods Company
The City of Paris Dry Goods Company, later known simply as City of Paris, was a leading department store in San Francisco from 1850 until 1972. It occupied a prime location diagonally across from Union Square. During the mid-1900s, the company broadened its reach by establishing several branches throughout the Bay Area, thereby strengthening its position within the regional retail market. The original flagship store in San Francisco was torn down in 1980 after an extended debate over preservation, making room for a new Neiman Marcus outlet. Despite the demolition, key architectural elements such as the iconic rotunda and glass dome were retained and incorporated into the new structure, preserving a tangible connection to the store’s historic identity.
Origins
Established by brothers Felix and Emile Verdier in May 1850 amid the California Gold Rush, the company began when Emile arrived in San Francisco Harbor from France aboard the Ville de Paris, bringing with him luxury items including silks, laces, fine wines, champagne, and cognac. The Verdier brothers had previously managed a silk-stocking manufacturing enterprise in Nîmes and Paris. Recognizing the booming demand for luxury goods, they quickly exchanged their merchandise for gold dust. Emile returned to France to replenish stock and launched a modest waterfront shop at 152 Kearney Street in 1851 under the name City of Paris. The store adopted the motto Fluctuat nec mergitur ("It floats and never sinks"), drawn from the emblem of the city of Paris.
The main store was housed in a Beaux-Arts style building designed by architect Clinton Day in 1896, situated at Geary and Stockton streets directly opposite Union Square.
Prior to this endeavor, the Verdier family had founded La Maison Dorée restaurant in Paris in 1839 and were involved with Etablissements Gaston Verdier within France’s textile sector.
Branches and offshoots
Expansion saw City of Paris open a branch in San Diego in 1886, located within the Bancroft Building at Fifth and G Streets in the Gaslamp Quarter—also designed by Clinton Day.
By the 1940s, additional outlets had been established in Vallejo and other parts of the Bay Area.
Auguste Fusenot, a French immigrant who became a partner in City of Paris Dry Goods Co., founded another Ville de Paris department store on Broadway in Los Angeles in 1893. This establishment eventually transformed into B. H. Dyas Co., which ceased operations during the 1930s; its premises were later converted into Broadway Hollywood and Myer Siegel stores.
Separately, an unrelated City of Paris dry goods store operated in Los Angeles from 1874 until 1897.
In Oroville, California, a historic sign bearing the City of Paris name endures as a local landmark.
San Francisco earthquake
The building was one of few structures surviving both the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires, though it suffered extensive interior damage. It was redesigned by architects John Bakewell and Arthur J. Brown, featuring an elaborate central rotunda crowned with a stained glass dome. The store resumed operations in 1909 after relocating temporarily to Hobart Mansion on Van Ness Avenue. That same year marked the start of its tradition of displaying a large Christmas tree within the rotunda, which became recognized as the city’s official holiday tree.
Emphasizing its French heritage, City of Paris showcased décor and products inspired by French culture. Its Verdier Cellars boasted an extensive collection of French wines—the largest wine department housed within any U.S. department store at that time. During Prohibition, the lower floor was converted into Normandy Lane, a French village-themed space that influenced similar concepts later adopted by rival retailer Macy's California and other Macy's divisions. In 1961, Julia Child and Simone Beck conducted cooking demonstrations at City of Paris to promote their book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The bookstore Brentano's maintained a branch inside City of Paris, becoming its largest location west of Denver.
The company continued growing with multiple branches across the San Francisco Bay Area including sites at Hillsdale Shopping Center, San Mateo; Vallejo; Stonestown Shopping Center (1960); and Northgate Shopping Center (1965).
Closure
The Verdier family maintained ownership and management of City of Paris until its closure in March 1972. Although the store was not insolvent, it was experiencing diminishing profits. Subsequently, the property was purchased by Liberty House from Hawaii, which reopened it under the name Liberty House at the City of Paris. Liberty House eventually constructed a new location at Stockton and O’Farrell streets, leading to the original site’s closure in 1974 and its sale to Neiman Marcus. Between 1974 and 1977, Joseph Magnin operated a clearance outlet known as Magnarama on the building’s ground floor.
Neiman Marcus intended to replace the historic structure with a flagship store, prompting a major preservation effort. Despite the building’s inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places and designation as a California Historical Landmark, more than 66,000 residents signed petitions advocating for its protection. Legal proceedings postponed demolition but could not halt it, which ultimately occurred in 1981. The new postmodern design, created by architect Philip Johnson, initially received criticism but later became well-liked by both visitors and locals. The original rotunda and stained glass skylight were salvaged and repositioned facing Union Square, enclosed within a contemporary glass facade crowned by a restaurant.