A group fighting to preserve Dallas City Hall has sued the city and its top officials, alleging they have allowed the landmark building to deteriorate while failing to carry out repairs and preservation requirements mandated by city law.

The Save Dallas City Hall Coalition filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Dallas County District Court against the city of Dallas, Mayor Eric Johnson, members of the Dallas City Council, City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and other city officials. The coalition is seeking court orders requiring the city to address what it describes as the ongoing “demolition by neglect” of the I.M. Pei-designed building.

The lawsuit seeks nonmonetary relief, including writs of mandamus and temporary and permanent injunctions. The coalition is not seeking compensatory or punitive damages.

WFAA reached out to the city for a response to the lawsuit and its allegations.

“Due to pending litigation, we have no comment at this time,” a city spokesperson said.

Coalition alleges City Hall has been allowed to deteriorate

At the center of the lawsuit is the coalition’s claim that Dallas is violating its own demolition-by-neglect ordinance by failing to maintain City Hall.

The petition cites a number of reported problems with the building, including recurring roof and interior water infiltration, water intrusion in the parking garage, a failed plaza storm drain, cracking and concrete spalling and problems with electrical infrastructure and an emergency backup generator.

The coalition argues those conditions fall under provisions of the Dallas City Code requiring structures covered by historic preservation protections to be kept from deteriorating.

The lawsuit also focuses heavily on City Hall’s emergency generators, which the petition describes as critical life-safety infrastructure providing backup power for emergency lighting, fire safety systems, elevators and communications. The coalition alleges City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and Chief of Real Estate John Johnson have failed to properly maintain the generator system.

The lawsuit comes after the coalition sent city officials a notice May 12 alleging City Hall was deteriorating and demanding repairs. According to the petition, more than 60 days passed without the alleged violations being corrected.

The coalition also points to money previously identified for City Hall projects. According to the lawsuit, city records at one point identified about $22.7 million in ARPA Redevelopment Fund budget capacity for generator, electrical and major maintenance work at City Hall. The petition acknowledges that the precise funding sources, transfers and remaining balances have not yet been fully determined.

The coalition alleges city officials breached their fiduciary duties by failing to use previously earmarked money to make repairs and by reallocating some of those funds for other purposes.

Historic designation process also at issue

The lawsuit also accuses Dallas officials of failing to move forward with the process of designating City Hall as a historic landmark.

The Dallas Landmark Commission voted unanimously on March 3, 2025, to initiate the historic designation process. That action triggered a pre-designation moratorium and, according to the petition, required the city’s Historic Preservation Officer to coordinate research and compile a written report examining City Hall’s historical, cultural and architectural significance.

Unless another qualifying action occurs first, the moratorium is set to expire March 3, 2027.

The coalition alleges the required report has not been completed and argues the delay could allow the city’s temporary protections for the building to expire before the landmark designation process is finished.

The group also formally requested a demolition-by-neglect investigation on July 22. According to the lawsuit, Historic Preservation Officer Marcus Watson acknowledged the request Aug. 5 and referred the matter to the City Attorney’s Office but did not provide a date for an inspection, meeting or required report.

The coalition argues the city code requires the preservation officer to meet with the property owner or representative, inspect the property, discuss available financing for repairs and prepare a report for the Landmark Commission.

Lawsuit comes amid debate over future of City Hall

The lawsuit comes as Dallas officials have been considering whether to repair City Hall or move city operations elsewhere.

According to the petition, the City Council voted 9-6 on June 10 not to move forward with repairs to City Hall and instead directed the city manager to use remaining eligible funds to explore moving city operations out of the building.

The future of the property has also been discussed in connection with possible redevelopment. The lawsuit says the city previously hired consultants to evaluate potential sites for a new Dallas Mavericks arena, and the Mavericks confirmed in January that the City Hall site and the former Valley View Mall site were among locations being considered for a new arena and mixed-use entertainment district.
The coalition argues the possibility of redevelopment makes the preservation process more urgent.

“The City expects private citizens to maintain their properties, but refuses to take responsibility for maintaining our historic City Hall and Plaza,” coalition President Bruce Richardson said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

What the lawsuit is asking a judge to do

The coalition is asking a judge to order Dallas officials to repair identified defects at City Hall and prevent further deterioration. It also wants the city manager and chief of real estate ordered to properly maintain the emergency generator system.

The lawsuit additionally asks the court to require the Historic Preservation Officer to move forward with the landmark designation report and establish a schedule that would allow the designation process to be meaningfully considered before the moratorium expires.

The coalition is also asking the judge to extend the pre-designation moratorium by the amount of time it alleges city officials have delayed the historic designation process.

The coalition argues that without court intervention, continued water intrusion and deterioration could permanently damage the building and that the loss of original historic materials could not be remedied through monetary damages.

Dallas City Hall opened in 1978 and was designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei. The building is known for its distinctive inverted-pyramid design and is considered a prominent example of Modernist and Brutalist civic architecture.