(Re)discover our city - Maison Moderne

Fischer Batty 1955432

(RE)découvrons notre ville - Maison Moderne

Think you know our capital well? Well, let's see about that! Some of the buildings that you walk past on a regular basis have a special story behind them. Dr Robert L. Philippart is a true expert on the subject and will guide you through the city to uncover these hidden stories, making you look at some of our symbolic buildings in a new way.

Maison Moderne, N° 10

The "Maison Moderne" clothing store (10–12 Grand-Rue) was built in 1913 by Architect Georges Traus. The new construction allowed the widening of Côte d'Eich at its junction with Grand-Rue. Louis Cohen, originally from Lower Saxony, opened his business at the same time as the tram line to Eich opened. The stop was right in front of the store. The architecture of the department store, intended for a high footfall, emphasised the concern for product quality and stood out from the stock clearance places set up near the station. The store offered 350 m2 of selling space and a reading room for ladies. Given the literacy of the population and the circulation of women's magazines, the provision of a reading room contributed to the pleasure of buying. The large ground-floor windows showcased products at fixed prices. In 1938, Louis Cohen had registered the brand "Les parfums Vivax" at the international office in Bern; this covered toiletries such as soaps, creams, powders, brilliantines, eau de Cologne and varnish. Sequestered in 1940, the brand was known as "Modernes Kaufhaus" during the war. Louis Cohen died in 1950. Maison Moderne specialised in lingerie and hosiery and in 1953 became a partnership under the name "Maison Moderne, Louis Cohen, Thécla Ermann et Fred Brahms, succ". Fred Brahms, nephew of Louis Cohen, had managed to flee to Brazil at the time of the Nazi invasion of Luxembourg. In November 1944, he and his wife Irène Sommer returned to the country and were able to resume their business. In 1963, the beautiful Art Nouveau-inspired building and its adjacent building gave way to a modernist-style department store. Built in several phases, over 16 months, the store only needed to be closed for work for 5 weeks! The rapid construction was explained by the use of a metal frame. The building was constructed from the top down so that the store could remain open during the work. Architect René Schmit was responsible for drawing up the plans. "Die weißen, grauen und schwarzen Farben der Glaspanele, kombiniert mit den diskreten Tönen des Aluminiums wirken sehr effektvoll und geben dem Neubau der „ Maison Moderne “ ein besonderes Gepräge" noted the Luxemburger Wort on 28 August 1964. The new building, served by two lifts, reflected the streamlined space: the fifth floor was reserved for administration, the fourth housed deliveries and storage, the third sold bed linen and curtains and the second was reserved for fabrics. On the first floor was the lingerie department, with the ground floor selling hosiery and haberdashery. Each department had several checkouts and the store operated a self-service approach supplemented by the advice of specially trained saleswomen. By 1980, the product range had changed considerably: the store boasted both men's and women's fashion with major off-the-peg brands, a Kids' Corner, a range of bath and kitchen towels and a bedding section. In line with the dynamism of the city, the brand organised fashion shows and regularly offered late night openings. In 2001, the Brussels architectural firm Pierre van de Broek replaced the 1963 building with a new, even more spacious and airy construction that the Springfield clothing store would occupy until early 2019. Since May 2019, the Vincent Verlaine outlet specialising in the sale of men's clothing, shoes and accessories has been located at this address.

© Photothèque de la Ville de Luxembourg - Batty Fischer 1955

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