Breaking: Save Dallas City Hall Coalition Gives City 60 Days to Address Repairs or Face Lawsuit

Lawyers for the coalition Save Dallas City Hall have notified the city that they intend to sue if officials don’t take steps to address certain needed repairs at 1500 Marilla St. in the next 60 days. The notice argues that the city is violating several provisions of its own city code by failing to adequately maintain the building designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei in the 1970s.

Landmark Status Raises Preservation Questions

One of the issues is that the Dallas Landmark Commission initiated historic landmark consideration of the property last year, triggering a “predesignation moratorium” under city code requiring the building to be “preserved against deterioration and kept free from structural defects.” The coalition argues those protections obligate the city to address longstanding waterproofing and weather protection failures at Dallas City Hall.

Water intrusion has been an ongoing issue for years at City Hall, with the city-commissioned property condition assessment report concluding that comprehensive waterproofing is needed.

Deferred Maintenance and Unused Federal Funds

Another part of the code the coalition says the city violated concerns the city’s responsibility to properly maintain city property. Specifically, the notice cites deferred maintenance of emergency generators and related electrical systems. Officials previously recommended reallocating $7.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding that had been earmarked for generator replacement and upgrades after estimating the actual cost at roughly $17 million. Meanwhile, some $18 million of ARPA funds remain unused and are at risk of being returned to the federal government if not spent by Sept. 30 of this year.

“The City of Dallas expects every private citizen and business to follow the law regarding historic preservation. It is unacceptable and legally indefensible for the City to exempt itself from those same standards, especially when millions in federal funding were available to fix these issues,” said coalition attorney and spokesperson Chris Bowers. “Plainly put, this is fiscal mismanagement that has consequences.”

Tolbert Lays Out Game Plan for City Hall Repair, Relocation Efforts

Arena Speculation Fuels Concerns About City Hall’s Future

Preservationists have argued the city has been angling to offload 1500 Marilla St. by exaggerating the building’s deficiencies and the cost to repair them. Council members are expected to be briefed on repair scenarios and redevelopment opportunities in the coming weeks. The Mavericks have been publicly eyeing the site for a new arena, adding to speculation about whether city officials are positioning the property for redevelopment.

“The Save Dallas City Hall Coalition demands that the City immediately take all reasonable steps to comply with the Dallas City Code and protect this unique visual feature of the city’s skyline and history,” the coalition said in a press release. “The Coalition is prepared to seek declaratory and injunctive relief to compel the City to perform necessary repairs.”

Dallas Voters Sent a Message at the Polls But the City’s Next Steps Are Unclear

Charter Amendment May Limit City Immunity Defense

Bowers told CandysDirt.com that the city might previously have been shielded by governmental immunity before voters approved Proposition S. The controversial amendment to the city charter was approved by voters back in November 2024. It waives the city’s governmental immunity from lawsuits and liability claims if residents sue the city when it fails to enforce or comply with the city charter, its own ordinances, or state law. The practical legal scope of Proposition S has not yet been fully tested in court.

CandysDirt.com reached out to the city, which confirmed it received and was reviewing the notice.

“The city has no comment at this time,” Chief Communications Officer Richard Ericson said.