After years of sitting mostly dark at one of downtown Walnut Creek’s busiest corners, the former Neiman Marcus at Broadway Plaza finally has a new life lined up. Luxury home-furnishings company RH is set to turn the 50,000-square-foot anchor into a sprawling RH Gallery that will feature a full-service restaurant and an outdoor wine experience. The big glass box, which has been largely vacant since Neiman Marcus closed in 2021, is slated to become a multi-building complex that Macerich and local leasing managers say will link courtyards and a glass-walled restaurant into a destination-style mix of retail and hospitality.
Macerich first quietly broke the news to investors during its Nov. 6, 2024 earnings call, when senior leasing executive Douglas Healey said the company had signed a 50,000-square-foot lease with RH for the former Neiman Marcus space at 1000 S. Main St. as part of a broader redevelopment plan, according to a transcript of the call on Motley Fool. Healey described the vision as an “integration of food, wine, art and design” and outlined a concept built around interconnected Mediterranean-style buildings and courtyard spaces wrapped around a central garden restaurant.
SFGATE later confirmed the lease with Tracy Dietlein, a senior marketing manager for Broadway Plaza, and reported that construction is expected to begin in mid-2026, with an opening penciled in for early 2028. The outlet noted that Macerich is pitching the deal as a potential template for reviving large, vacant department store spaces, and that RH did not respond to immediate requests for comment.
What An RH Gallery Means
RH does not treat its Galleries as simple furniture showrooms. The company’s flagship projects typically combine dramatic retail floors with hospitality elements such as wine bars, rooftop restaurants and landscaped outdoor spaces designed to keep visitors hanging around instead of just dashing in for a sofa. In its announcement for the Palo Alto Gallery, RH spotlighted a glass-encased rooftop restaurant and wine bar as a center-stage feature of that site, and pointed prospective guests to the full concept in the company’s release on RH.
That playbook is not new for the brand. RH’s earlier Yountville location, covered in depth by outlets including Eater SF, showcases how the company weaves sit-down dining, wine service and high-end retail into a single experience that functions as both a store and a social hub. Walnut Creek’s planned Gallery is expected to follow that same “come for the design, stay for the food and wine” formula, even if the exact details are still under wraps.
Why Walnut Creek Matters
Broadway Plaza is one of Macerich’s marquee California centers and serves a wide, affluent trade area, points the company highlights prominently on its leasing materials. Macerich pitches the property as a high-performing, open-air destination that is built to support experiential tenants. That positioning helps explain why RH would pick this particular corner for a major Gallery that blends furniture galleries with restaurants and wine-focused spaces.
For downtown Walnut Creek, the arrival of RH is more than a fancy sign swap. The project promises fresh foot traffic, hospitality and retail jobs, and a very visible test case for how big-box retail footprints can be reimagined when traditional department stores move on. Whether residents see it as a glamorous new living room for the city or simply a clever reuse of an empty shell, the transformation will be hard to miss.
The deal still has to clear the typical hurdles, including design approvals, permits and a construction schedule that could shift once crews and budgets are locked in. For now, Macerich has staked out a mid-2026 start to major construction and is targeting a phased opening in early 2028. Local officials and RH have not yet released detailed site plans, hiring timelines or menus, so neighbors can expect a steady drip of specifics as the project works its way through approvals and into the build-out phase.
