CITE 28 I a l l I HE llmly live BUY DESIGN Stanley Marcus on the Architecture of Merchandising

Barbara Koerble

At 9 1 , Stanley Marcus remains the and that it was a much better backbone quintessential example of upscale for | merchandise display I-""* American retail know-how. Alter assum- As the senior Marcus's health ing control of' his lather's successful spe- declined, his son oversaw additions and cialty retail establishment at the age of renovations CO the store in 19.11, 194 I, 44, Marcus honed an innate flair for and 1951 that gradually transformed it showmanship, utilizing clever promotion- into a more contemporary expression, at al tactics to bring Neiman Marcus into least on the interior. The 1933 expansion the national and international spotlight. was designed by George Dahl, The other Neiman's went beyond simple advertising expansions and the first suburban branch copy to undertake such lavish store pro- store — the Preston Center store ( I 952) motions as the extravagant Christmas — were designed by Dallas architects catalogue, featuring such offerings as his- Roscoe DeWitt and Arch Swank, with and-hers camels, Becchcraft planes, and New York interior designer Eleanor l.e 4 mummy cases, which has become a Maire. These early commissions estab- national media event.1 At the same time, lished the conditions for Le Maire's future Marcus sought to underscore the store's collaborations with other Neiman Marcus carefully cultivated image of elegance, architects. refinement, and discerning taste through DeWitt became embroiled in the con- architecture and interior design, commis- troversial aborted house design that sioning a series of notable architects Marcus commissioned from Frank I.loyd including Philip Johnson, Kevin Roche. Wright, After Marcus asked DeWitt to Gyo Obata, John Carl Warnecke, and function as the local consulting architect, Edward Larrabee Barnes to design Wright accused the Dallas architect in a Stonier Morim at the moll entrgnct to the NoilhPork Neiman Monui itore, Texas and tered her in the mid-19.10s, l.e Maire had thetically pleasing. Merchandise is never president of Neiman Marcus, "Well, you an anomaly among Paul Gret's Art Deco a well-established office in New York. allowed to overwhelm customers. shouldn't have so many clothes!" When fair buildings. Although interiors for major banks would Neiman Marcus doesn't just stock goods. the initial bids came in at four times bud- One of the few details that Stanley become a staple of her later practice It presents them with taste, authority, get, Marcus fired the famous architect. Marcus is unable to recall is exactly when (Skidmore, Owings is; Merrill's and a sense ol permanence. Fine paint- "Not a pleasant experience," Marcus or how he first met Eleanor l.e Maire. As Manufacturers Trust Company on Fifth ings, sculptures, and living plants are remembers, "Hut I got a Ph.D. in architec- he puts it: "It seemed to me that she was Avenue was the first), Stanley Marcus was integrated into the display of merchan- ture just as a client. I learned a lot from part of my life forever. . . . She was a one of her earliest anil most loyal clients; dise as well as into each store's decor. Mr. Wright — learned a lor about him. tremendous source of inspiration — sin- their collaboration spanned 5s years and The goal is to stimulate customers, while Unfortunately I never got a house from helped establish principles that I've never lasted up to her death in 1970. Le Maire affording them a sense of well-being."- him." In the end, DeWitt designed the forgotten." Le Maire graduated from had an excellent understanding of the house and l.e Maire did the interiors. Following his graduation from Parsons School of Design in New York in retailer's needs. She expressed her credo "The resulting house was nowhere near as I larvard in 1925, Marcus went with his 1920 and studied as well at the Columbia in an exhortation to other designers that great a house as Mr. Wright would have father to Europe and in Paris saw the University School of Architecture and the appeared in a 1964 issue of Interior done, but a lot more comfortable," Exposition hilrriuitKiii.tif tics Arts University of California at Berkeley. Her Design: "You will focus interest in the Marcus says [see Donald Barthclme on Dicoratifs et Industrials Modernes, initial success came quickly, when she store, without distraction, on the mer- Wright, page 9 of this issuc|. which gave its name to the design move- completely redesigned the interior plan, chandise you have to present. Back- 1 grounds must be kept as backgrounds; the ment known as Art Dceo. Marcus con- Marcus rook on the role of architec- furnishing, and lighting of Bullock's foreground belongs to merchandise. You siders this a seminal experience: "I had tural consultant in the mid-19.10s, when Wilshire department store in Los Angeles are not the star in this production — t h e been suspecting that there was a revolu- an executive with the Magnolia Petroleum in 1929, after being on the store's staff client's merchandise is. Your plan, design, tion going on in architecture, but 1 didn't Company asked him to help select an only a short time. Forty years later, color treatment, lighting — all these, it know a damn thing about architecture. architect for the company's building at interiors recalled the Wilshire store as "a they are right, will do that. Good use ol That exhibition was like a bombshell the Texas Centennial Imposition. revolutionary interior in its openness, space, a hit of air, correct use of materi- coming at a time when I was very impres- Marcus's friend, the American industrial airiness, accessibility to daylight, unifica- als, lighting and color, all together, can sionable and tending toward contempo- designer I lenry Dreyfuss, suggested a tion with the landscape, and its clear and create a scene, a mood, a warmth, which rary design, and that sealed it. . . . lounge building where people could rest vivid colors — colors then unknown in will be just right for the merchandise and Gradually, I educated my father that and offered the names tif several contem- commercial interiors."" Marcus describes most inviting to the public."" contemporary design was here to stay porary architects. Marcus interviewed Bullock's Wilshire store as "the single CITE tliiili' live I a I I 15 H 29

suits feel comfortable. The design of the example — we fought kiosks, and for octagonal building features skylit octago- twenty years, we won, but eventually nal stairwells, two surmounted by towers kiosks got into the mall. But Gerry is one that mark the entrances. A three-story of the most delightful developers I know, skylit atrium court with hanging gardens with a real understanding and respect for I contains glass-enclosed elevator cages that good architectural design." Marcus is far i offer panoramic views of the store." (One less effusive about Cyo Ohata, the archi- feature common to all Neiman Marcus tect for the Houston store: "i think * stores, except the original Dallas store, is Ohata was intent upon his career and I a skylit escalator atrium.) Circulation the importance of the building to his Neiman Marcus, Dallas, grand sraircoie la ihe meuanine, 1930. Neiman Manns, downtown Dallas, Eleanor U Maire As solicits, areas are paved with the same material career rather than the importance of the The original siorc-, bailt in 1914, was expanded and redecorated interior designers; DeWill (, Swank, architects (1953). The in 1916 (above) under Ihe direction of Stanley Marcus, Sr. expansion and redecoralion under the direction of Stanley throughout to unify all of the levels. The building to our career." Obata's design is Marcus, Jr., included this tuchtd-owov escalator. Bal Harbour store was the last that Le more monumental than most Neiman Le Maire spurred Marcus's commit- designed the Neiman's at NorthPark for Maire worked on; she died before it Marcus facades but was criticized as a ment to contemporary architecture and developer and art collector Raymond was completed. hand-me-down version of Le Corbusier's 1 helped guide his plans for a major expan- Nasher, who also engaged Lawrence The first Neiman Marcus store in La Tourette. ' sion program. "1 made a decision, encour- I latprin as landscape architect and Houston was downtown where The I ollowing the ! louston (ialleria store, aged by her, not to produce a prototype Hand] & Hamilton (Omniplan) as pro- Fashion had been before going out of opened in 1969, John Carl Wamecke store and reproduce it all over," he says. ject architects for the rest of the shopping business. For a number of reasons the designed a series of Neiman Marcus "She thought this was an opportunity to complex. Neiman Marcus was integrated arrangement was unsatisfactory, and branches, including stores in Atlanta capitalize on diversity instead of standard- into an attractive, spacious ensemble of Marcus prepared to open a suburban (1972), St. Louis (1975), the Chicago 12 ization." I loping to encourage a number shops unified through the use of brick store when that lease expired. He and suburb of North bridge (1976), and of architects and let the new stores express and the incorporation of a series of interi- Cierald Hines were concurrently planning Washington, D.C. (1978). However, the character of their locations, Marcus, or courtyards. Writing in 1985, architec- two different malls within blocks of each Marcus was clearly not happy with his armed with clippings sent by Le Maire of ture critic David Dillon described other; Hines approached Marcus about working relationship with the architect. new architectural works, sought architects NorthPark as a "notable exception to becoming his anchor tenant in the "When we got down to working sessions who he thought had a "feeling" for stores. [Dallas's] freeway monstrosities; . . . 20 (ialleria, to which Marcus readily agreed. on a new store, Warnecke was never "The truth of the matter was," he now years later [it is| still the most polished "It was a very warm and friendly relation- around," Marcus said. "We didn't expect says, "that none of [the name architects] and sophisticated of the area's major ship," remembers Marcus, and Hines linn to do the drafting work, but certainly had much of a feeling for stores. They had shopping malls."" Besides much positive "was always very responsive to architec- expected him to do the critical work." never done stores. Some of them never did attention in the architectural press, the tural requirements we were insisting he One reason Marcus continued the associ- learn it." NorthPark complex received the Dallas incorporate into the areas leading up to ation was that he had persuaded chapter of the American Institute of our building. We didn't want kiosks, for Marcus first approached I ero Warnecke to absorb F.leanor Le Maire Architects' 25-year award in 1942.'" Saarinen to design a Neiman's branch in Fort Worth. Saarinen, however, had Recalling his experience with Roche, already committed to design the CBS Marcus comments, "We found ourselves tower in New York City and told Marcus educating most of the architects as to that it would consume all of his time. what the philosophy of a store was. One With Saarinen unavailable, Marcus turned of the things we had to teach them was again to Henry Dreyfuss for advice. that we were positive of only one thing Drcyfuss had worked with Kdward with any store — that we would want to Larrabee Barnes during World War II change it within ten years," Marcus designing prototype prefabricated housing fought Roche's design for a concave ceil- units. However, as Marcus recalls, ing that defined a specific department. "Barnes had never been in a store. I lis Marcus felt certain that this would wife did all of the shopping, so he had no restrict the department when it needed to basic understanding of the economics. . . . expand, bin he iiltimateK lost the battle I don't think Ld was willing to really learn with Roche, who "was very convincing anything about stores." that a building had to have some disci- Barnes proposed a design in which pline even if yon did have to change it a Meiman Marcus was the central store, little." The concave ceiling has been ringed by peripheral small shops; in the removed. "It cost us a fortune to change more traditional mall concept, two or it," says Marcus. S

more anchor stores are placed at opposing While Neiman's at NorthPark was Neiman Maicas, NorthPark Center, Dallas, Eero Saarinen t Associates, architect! (1965). ends, with small shops arranged in part of a highly unified ensemble, in gen- between." While Barnes's solution grace- eral Marcus preferred that his stores look fully accommodated the sloping sire, with distinctive instead of slavishly relating to the perimeter shops stepping down the center. In St. Louis, the local planning around the central block, the shops were board compelled him and his architects largely unvisited by foot traffic and "died to integrate their store into a colonial- on the vine," as Marcus describes it. The Style shopping center "more befitting the design provided for a one-level expansion, 18th century than the present," Marcus but this was insufficient for the company's recalls. "So we asked them if they flew in long-term needs. Although the store was airplanes til that same design. We lost financially successful, it ultimately was that battle, but I made up my mind that I abandoned, largely because of the prob- would never again be bludgeoned by .i lem with the surrounding shops. After this short-sighted committee or city expensive learning experience, Marcus planners." stayed with a traditional mall design for Of all of the Neiman Marcus stores, future stores. the 1971 Bal Harbour, Honda, store, • Saarinen had promised Marcus that he designed by Miami-based architect < would design the next Neiman Marcus I lerbert 11. Johnson, is Marcus's favorite. store, but he died before Dallas's The palette of materials reflects seaside NorthPark Center came to fruition in colors and the store has a casual feeling, s

1965. Kevin Roche, Saarinen's successor, so that strolling vacationers in bathing Neiman Marcus, Bal Harbour, Florida, Herbert H. Johnson, architect (1971). CITE 30 f a l l I 9 9 G

Associates after l.e Maire's death, since architects' commitment to the projects, Warnecke had no interior design division. and tew of the high-profile firms met his Marcus's reputation as a local author- exacting standards of service. In fact his it) mi architecture won him a place on the encounters with architects seem to have committee selecting an architect for the anticipated the architectural marketplace Dallas City Hall. "They were prepared to ot today, is lure s< n ice is often * alued build a heautilul colonial building," more highly than quality or originality in recalls Marcus, Inn Major I TIC Jonsson aesthetic expression. Merchandising asked Marcus to "educate" the committee remained Marcus's first love, and only the by showing them the work of 20 archi- interior design played a strong enough tects. ]. M. Pei was ultimately selected to role in the display of merchandise to design the building, completed in 1978. merit Marcus's unconditional support. • "Now, whether that was a good design or » . •D not. 1 don't know," Marcus says. "I've never been terribly keen about the build- ing inside." Several years later, Marcus 1 HUanJHm \ . « Yorki Viking, 1982), pp. 82, 112, 117, chaired the architect selection committee 2 ITIIIII .i p.iin 1 miliult'il HI .HI rH-bottH hiitiirii.tl exhlbi For the Morton f I. Meyerson Symphony rum ufgjuracd by I .im I earners, Nehtian Manctm archivist. 11. 11 Amnion, Hi>t>>ri •>/ Modem trr (New York: ( enter. Although a similar process was n.i'i. S \l>r.,m,. 19861,p. 132. followed, the committee was not satisfied I In, qucir.irtnn .mil .ill ttui 1+illi.w. unlrss othenrite with the presentations. Tins time Pei had Neimofl Marcus, NorlhPnrk Cenler, Dallas, Eleanor Le Mnirc Associates, inlerior designers; Eero Soorinen I Associates, architects dated. OR (mm pir.nli.il illlCfVfCWSConducted DJ the RUthoi |1963|. This eihibilion hall wos unique la the HsrlhPork sine. Hew York archilecl Charles F other 9 designed Ihe canopy, and the mi \ugusi 14 (telephone) and nssgup] o, I99J ; declined to participate, and when Marcus opening eihibilion (above) displayed Ihe sculptures and contraptions of New Toik artisl William Accorsi, 'InfflrfQiinitffi Irntrfff h) Netinan'tfai Man's contacted him and asked why, Pei said he Score," i>.i//.j, Mowng Neftff, 1-vlirLi.iry 25, 1934, p. 12; "DtaCttCI I KpamicHI Ol 1 I UnOUi Sti'tr," .\iihitnlui.ll htrum. thought it would be a waste of time, since u 1 "Mondrian-like" pattern. "Since the reason that malls have been successful. . . . •• tss.p|,. 12o-2 U-SLK Wagon Score, ' IbkL, Dallas already had two of his buildings. 11nti.irs 1952, pp I \brA *. .mil "Nl mi in MtPCUItol snhliih building was a blank box we used the It was an old solution that works, and M.Miii.iiiinSubui Branch," Delta Homwg .v™.,, Marcus convinced him to try, and Pei wall like canvas," he explained.'" other solutions don't work. . . . But the I.uni.tn 9, 1949, ICC >. up won the commission, producing "proba- '. ' 'Ir.i lull n. 'Eleanor Lc M.wr — the- Must I nliki-U Criticism was also leveled at the awkward architects we worked with were all fairly Pioneer," hmnron, Much I si^o. p 97 bly the best building ol his career." in caging of the rotunda and the stamed- stubborn about that. None ot them said, " Eleanor I e Maire, ~VCli.it Does tin" Interior Designer Marcus's estimation. "I feel that thai was I irpccl I nun tin-1. IIL-IH*" ItitiTmr trrst"ir. lime l''i.4. p. I In gl.iss dome thai remained from the City ot 'Look, I'd like to work in the store and K M.,n.in Page, "A DJH.1, Insiiiiitiiiti c apturej K,s.11 ton one of my most rewarding ventures into Paris building, and at the lack of contex- put one of my men in for a month as a Worth," Utttrian, \ugtui 1963, pp *S-*~. architecture outside ot my own business." 'i David DUion, Dattii Archiuaurt, I93t I»ftS lAustin: tual reference to any of the building's salesman just to observe the function of rem Moathl) Press, 1985), p. US. 1 Marcus's most controversial commis- neighbors, " the store.'" In Marian Page, "Blaenoi t e Main c peacca •< I uphorH Auiiosphcrc has: Shopping,* totstiort, December 1965, pp sion was the S.m Irancisco store, built on In retrospect, Marcus's decision to In general, the "designer" stores are 92-lQlt 'Shoapjngl entenaadSi NorthParli Regional a corner of Union Square in I4S2. 1 Ic avoid a signature or prototype store- w.ts competently designed but do noi exempli shuppin-<1'liuT." AtebiucoMl Aecorsf, Buddhsg I vpes sunk no. 357, April IS>Wi, jip 1 ~ I s *' encountered organized opposition to well advised; the resulting array ol design- fy the best work ol these architects. 11 Jrihn AnJiTvin, "Nctman Marcus lit .1 I loltda] demolition oi the building that occupied er-architects produced work that paral- Marcus acknowledges that his own inter- Mood." hferutr*. Aiiu.11,1 I'^l.pp. H3-93. ' - st.inli-v Marcus, Mirtdnuj lift- Store IBoston: I rtttc. the sire, the 1908 City of Paris depart- leled Neiman's top-flighl designer labels ests lay elsewhere; "I pul more emphasis Brown, 1974), p. 15! ment store. He countered with engineer- in quality. Still, Marcus found working on interior architecture, and in doing so I 11 Knbrrr Vcnrun. IVniM- Svutt lltimti, .mil Sliun l/iiiiiin. f aamnsg /mm / at Vegas *< ainbridgje M i l Press, ing reports stating that the building was with famous architects to be a trial at made some mistakes by not insisting on Mben Pope, "I ran hfeifwnvi to Macy's," r in. \\ inn 1 unsafe and out of code and pointed to the times: "During the past 10 years, there more distinctive exteriors." I lis best deci- 19B7,p. I I . H Inn Burns. "Piercing the Walliol .m Urban Room," difficulty of retrofitting the old store lor has been so much opportunity for archi- sion was to retain Kleanor l.e Maire's AtdritKtUTt, November l"S5, p M modern uses. To pacify the public, he tects all over the world,. . . and as a design ser\ ices tor so many years. As I < Kaihrvn H. Anthony, "Public fttforpaon- ••! Reeeni Projccn," Arehttttm, March 1985, pp. 93 M agreed to save the building's rotunda and result, they were never around when we Interiors recalled her; "Though she was a 11- I'll lij' IIIILIIMIII and loins Bunjux, Architcctlm st.lined-glass dome, "not realizing I had were. We would be held up by Kevin modernist on the whole, it is nor mod- I -iniC Riccoli, I98J). p LSI l~ Anilimn. i'ulili, Percepi •>." p. 93;Bunu)l made a million-dollar commitment." Roche being in India, Obata being some ernism as such for which her works will "Piercing the Walks" p. ftl. is 1.noi 1. \i tin ," p. 97 Warnecke, who was to have designed where else. I was at the point ol saying, 'I be remembered, but forcomlort, exhilara- 1 the store, was unceremoniously dumped don't want a (anions architect anymore, I tion, opulence |and| elegance." " The when, according to Marcus, the archi- want somebody who is resident.'" He also clean-lined, spartan, modem exteriors tect's daughter showed up at a public faults his architects for tailing to under- served as a foil lor the elegance and rich- hearing on the proposed demolition and stand the program. " I'oo man] oi thi m ness of the interior fixtures and decora- lambasted hei lathei as a bad architect. built with preconceptions rather than tion, and for the luxurious merchandise Wishing to avoid a cause celebre, Marcus basically studying how stores are done. they supported. Now, if Barnes had studied the problem, turned to the less controversial Philip Marcus's relative lack ot interest in tin he would have known that I here was .i Johnson, who, Marcus believed, had a stores' exteriors no doubt altecled his "national reputation that would impress the hidebound people of San Francisco." Apparently Johnson tell he would prevail through reputation alone. The mosl enduring anecdote about his involvement in the commission was reported by San Irancisco newspaper columnist Herb Caen, who claimed that Johnson s.n read- ing I'he I lound of the Uaskervilles during a public hearing, then cheerfully quipped, "Loved the book, hated the hearing."1' Johnson's store-as-gift-box imagery was not greatly appreciated in San Francisco, as .i |9S5 survey revealed. Most disliked was the facade, whose checkerboard pattern of pink granite was criticized as "flat and cardboardy" and derisivel) compared to both a clown's costume and argsle socks.|; |ohnson, naturally, had a loftier artistic vision ol the granite veneer, describing it as a Neimon Marcus Galleria, Houston, Hellmuth, Obala t Knssnbaum and Heuhaus t Taylor, orchitects (1969-71).