An Architectural Gem: The Birth of Saint-Quentin's Palais de l’Art Déco

In the 19th century, France went through an unprecedented commercial and industrial revolution after the Le Chapelier law of 1791 proclaimed unrestricted freedom of trade. The capital set the tone with Le Bazar Français (1819), Le Bon Marché (1853), Le Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (BHV, 1856), La Samaritaine (1870) and the Galeries Lafayette (1893). These new meccas of consumerism spread throughout the country. Another aspect also emerged: the display of moderate, non-negotiable prices. During these early stages of liberalism, ambitious young entrepreneurs soon sensed that a combination of trade, finance and audacity was an excellent springboard for social and professional advancement. Saint-Quentin, a town in the Hauts-de-France department   of Northern France, was inevitably sucked into this huge steamroller of a system. Stores and stalls proliferated in the city center and the suburbs, and the retail and wholesale sector, often focused on textiles, attracted customers and the press. Nonetheless, starting in the 1870s, the range of products became so diverse that many stores took on the name of "Grand…