City officials said Wednesday a new agreement with a landlord could keep the 100-plus-year-old store open.
DALLAS — A portion of the land under the Downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus building (almost?) led to the store’s closure of the iconic store after more than 100 years.
A group of city leaders announced Wednesday that they had reached an agreement with Slaughter Partners, one of the multiple owners of the land underneath the building at 1618 Main St. to donate the land to the city, potentially allowing for the store to remain open.
“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 from the Consortium for the Downtown Neiman Marcus said. “Conversations late into the evening and early morning between 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.”
That announcement came just over a week after Neiman Marcus’ parent company Saks Global said they received notice from a landlord to terminate their occupancy after more than a decade of negotiations. Neiman Marcus merged with Saks Fifth Avenue less than a year ago.
“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.
Here’s a timeline of the events leading up to Wednesday’s announcement.
Timeline
1907 – Neiman Marcus was founded by Abraham Lincoln “Al” Neiman, his wife Carrie Marcus Neiman and his brother-in-law Herbert Marcus Sr.
1914 –The original Neiman Marcus store burned in a fire and the company opened a new location at the corner of Main Street and Ervay Street, where it remains today.
1926 – Marcus and Neiman sign a 99-year ground lease with C.C. Slaughter for a 2,500-square-foot piece of land under the southwest corner of the store, according to records filed with Dallas County.
Jan. 31, 2025 – The Slaughters’ 99-year ground lease ended and was extended until March 2025.
Feb. 18, 2025 – Neiman Marcus’ parent company Saks Global announced it received a notice from a landlord to terminate their occupancy after more than a decade of negotiations.
Feb. 25, 2025 – A group of city officials including 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 held a press conference announcing their intent to meet with stakeholders in an attempt to find a solution to keep the downtown Neiman Marcus store open. They said they sent a letter to Saks Global. Saks Global confirmed to WFAA that it received the letter and is “reviewing the request.”
Feb. 26, 2025 – The same group announced that they had reached an agreement with Slaughter Partners for their land to be donated to the city of Dallas. City officials say the piece of land would then be committed for the continued operation of the Downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus store. They said they’re set to meet with a representative of Saks Global next week.
What was the issue with the ground lease?
The land upon which the downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus store sits has multiple owners. The Consortium for the Downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus said in a letter that all the ground leases under the downtown Neiman Marcus building were affirmed during the company’s bankruptcy with the exception of the Slaughter lease.
Downtown Neiman Marcus map
Who were C.C. Slaughter Jr. and C.C. Slaughter Sr.?
Christopher Columbus “C.C.” Slaughter Jr. was the son of a prominent Texas rancher, banker and philanthropist, according to the Texas State Historical Association.
Aside from ranching, his father, C.C. Slaughter Sr., participated in banking in Dallas, where he helped organize City Bank in 1873 and helped establish the American National Bank, which evolved into the American Exchange National Bank (later First National Bank), according to the association.
Slaughter Sr. also contributed to the cost of building First Baptist Church in Dallas and contributed to the Texas Baptist Memorial Sanitarium (later Baylor Hospital) in Dallas, per the association.
C.C. Slaughter Sr. died in 1919 and C.C. Slaughter Jr. died in 1940, records show.
