![Texas historical marker for Neiman Marcus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Texas_historical_marker_for_Neiman_Marcus.jpg)
The Neiman Marcus Building is a historic commercial structure located in the
Main Street District in
downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the central business district (CBD) of Dallas, Texas, United States, located in the geographic center of the city. It is the second-largest business district in the state of Texas. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
(
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
). It is the corporate headquarters and flagship store of
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. is an American integrated luxury retailer headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which owns Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Horchow, and Last Call. Since September 2021, NMG has been owned by a group of investment compani ...
. It is the last of the original department stores still serving downtown Dallas. It is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
as a
contributing property of the
Dallas Downtown Historic District.
History
The building was designed for Neiman Marcus to replace its previous store on Elm Street which burned in 1913. Designed to be fireproof and accommodate additional floors as needed, the red brick and white stone building opened in 1914 with four floors at the corner of Main and Ervay. In 1926, the company leased adjacent land and an identical four-story addition extended the store facing Ervay to Commerce Street that it completed in 1927.
This addition, designed by architect
George Dahl
George Leighton Dahl (May 11, 1894 – July 18, 1987) was a prominent American architect based in Dallas, Texas during the 20th century. His most notable contributions include the Art Deco structures of Fair Park while he oversaw planning and con ...
, doubled the retail space, replaced the exterior brick veneer with white terra cotta, and enlarged the store's entrances. The design of the building was based on
Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
architecture, and the interior featured an impressive double staircase.
In 1931, the building was air-conditioned in an elaborate stunt from New York offices via a
Western Union
The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company cha ...
link.
The building continued to expand with growth, and in 1941 every floor of the building was remodeled. Over the years, the store acquired adjacent land to the west along Commerce Street and Main Street. Beginning in 1951 and ending in 1953 two additional floors were added to the original building in a similar but less detailed manner, bringing the store to six floors. New six-story structures, modern in style, were built adjacent to the store along Commerce Street and Main Street. These additions again doubled the size of the store, although the new buildings did not match the original store's design.
The additions provided greater room for employee services, a penthouse restaurant and expanded departments. During the late 1950s, a seventh floor was added in a similar style to the previous fifth and sixth floor additions.
On December 19, 1964, the building burned in the costliest blaze in the city's history, destroying $5–10 million in merchandise, art objects and antique furniture.
Remarkably, the building was not destroyed, and it reopened just 27 days later.
The last major expansion added two floors to the top of the entire complex in 1983, giving the structure a height of nine stories.
These additional floors provided more room for the growing department store chain's corporate offices.
During the late 1980s, Neiman Marcus considered leaving the building for a new downtown shopping center, but with revitalization of the Main Street District the store remained in its original location. Today, the flagship store serves as an important anchor in the Dallas retail scene as a reminder of the city's retailing history.
Features
*The Zodiac is the signature lunch restaurant which has been in operation for over 50 years. Located on the sixth floor, it is known as the place to mingle with the who's-who of downtown.
*The flagship store is the centerpiece of Neiman Marcus holiday celebrations. Each year the building's exterior is covered in thousands of lights, a special Christmas Tree is commissioned and holiday windows are revealed to eager crowds.
Gallery
Image:Neimanmarcusinterior01.jpg
Image:Neiman Marcus Flagship Interior.jpg
Image:Dallas Neiman Marcus 3.jpg
Image:Dallas Neiman Marcus 2.jpg
See also
*
References
External links
Neiman MarcusNeiman Marcus Flagship StoreThe size of Neiman-Marcus stores, including the original store
{{NRHP in Texas
Buildings and structures in Dallas
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks
Historic department store buildings in the United States