City officials said a new agreement with landlord could keep the 100-plus-year-old store open.
DALLAS — The iconic Downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus store may remain part of the downtown landscape after all.
A group of city leaders said Wednesday they reached an agreement with Slaughter Partners, one of the owners of the land underneath the store at 1618 Main St., to donate their land to the city of Dallas, securing “the continued operations of the flagship Neiman Marcus store in Downtown.”
“Following conversations over the past 24 hours with Mr. Stephen Rogers, the asset manager for the Slaughter family, we have reached an agreement for the land in question to be donated to the City of Dallas. This transaction secures the continued operations of the flagship Neiman Marcus store in Downtown,” the letter read.
The letter was signed by Dallas City Manager Kim Tolbert, Downtown Dallas Inc. CEO Jennifer Scripps, Dallas Economic Development Corporation CEO Linda McMahon and Todd Interests chairman and founder Shawn Todd.
The group said all ground leases under the downtown Neiman Marcus building were affirmed during the company’s bankruptcy with the exception of the Slaughter lease. Their 99-year ground lease ended Jan. 31, 2025 and was extended through March 31, 2025, according to a letter from the group.
According to public records through Dallas County, Neiman Marcus founders Abraham Lincoln “Al” Neiman and Herbert Marcus signed a lease for the property with C.C. Slaughter in 1926.
“This 99-year lease was never an economic lease, but a philanthropic lease, as Mr. C.C. Slaughter was close friends with the Neiman family and the Marcus family. Over 99 years, the lease never received more than $400 per month,” the Wednesday letter from the Dallas Consortium for the Downtown Neiman Marcus read.
“Conversations late into the evening and early morning between [developer] Shawn Todd and Mr. Rogers culminated with a meeting with City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert this morning, during which the Slaughter family confirmed their intention to donate the land to the City of Dallas. The City of Dallas will then commit this parcel for the continued operations of the Downtown Neiman Marcus flagship store,” the letter continued. “We wish to thank the Slaughter Family and Mr. Rogers, a family of tremendous integrity who are cut from the same fabric as their great grandfather, C.C. Slaughter. They care about the bigger picture, the common good for all.”
The consortium says Neiman Marcus’ parent company Saks Global told them a representative would be available to meet with the consortium in Dallas next week.
WFAA has reached out to Saks Global for comment on the new deal. We’ll update this story as more information becomes available.
WFAA has also reached out to members of the Slaughter family.
The news of the deal comes just over a week after Neiman Marcus’ parent company Saks Global said they received notice from a landlord to terminate their occupancy, necessitating the closure of the downtown store effective March 31, 2025.
“This location has been a beloved institution in the community for more than a century, and we are disappointed to be losing a piece of Neiman Marcus history,” Saks Global said in a statement at the time.
Then, Tuesday, Tolbert, Scripps, Todd, McMahon and city council member Paul Ridley held a press conference announcing their intent to meet with stakeholders to try to find a solution to keep the iconic store open. The group sent a letter to Saks Global, which Saks Global confirmed it received.
“Losing Neiman Marcus would be more than just a store shutting down. It’s the loss of a historic landmark, a pillar of Dallas culture and a symbol of the vibrancy that makes our city unique,” Scripps said yesterday. “At first it felt like we were starting to plan a funeral without verifying that the patient didn’t have still a glimmer of life left.”
Neiman Marcus was founded in 1907 by Abraham Lincoln “Al” Neiman, his wife Carrie Marcus Neiman and his brother-in-law Herbert Marcus Sr.
Their original store location was at the intersection of Elm Street and North Field Street. But the building burned down in 1914 in a fire, and by the end of the year, the company opened in a new location at Main Street and Ervay Street, where it has remained ever since — until it closes in March.
