GOLIAD, Texas (AP) - In the first week of April, Schroeder Hall will go up for sale on eBay with the starting price of $1.
It’s no April Fools’ Day joke.
The Victoria Advocate (https://bit.ly/2nz4oYn ) reports the owner, ATX Brands, based in Austin, bought the dance hall in June 2014 from Sharon and Jack Kleinecke, said company chief executive officer Doug Guller. Guller said he has been honored to own the hall because of its longevity.
“I’ve enjoyed the history that the hall has; the community that both works there and attends the concerts,” he said. “From an overall standpoint, it’s such a gem to be a part of something that has such a long tradition.”
ATX Brands is selling off all its properties outside Austin so the company can focus on the Austin venues. With those plans, the company is not in a place to raise Schroeder Hall to the level where Guller wants it to be, he said.
Guller has talked with potential buyers during the past six months and hasn’t been able to find the right person or land a contract, he said.
He wants to list it on eBay to reach the largest number of people who might be interested in the hall.
“I want someone to purchase the hall who will consistently be booking the right bands and the right events in the hall,” he said. “I’d like to be picky about who takes it over in order for it to be in the community for 100 more years, but ultimately, it will be left in the hands of the highest bidder.”
The hall will be up for bid most likely for 30 days, but company officials have not come to final decision on the length yet, Guller said.
The hall is about 14,000 square feet, has a 6,000-square-foot oak dance floor and sits on 5 acres, Guller said. The sale will also include 2 acres across the street that has two older houses, a shed and a cemetery.
“There is a lot of value in it,” he said. “I just hope that it ends up in the right hands of someone that can curate it the right way and do the hall justice.”
Prior owner Sharon Kleinecke said putting the hall for sale on eBay was a good idea. Historic Texas dance halls are a rarity, so it’s essential that the hall’s tradition is continued, she said.
“I would love for someone local to buy it because locals know what locals like,” she said. “Hopefully they would continue the traditions of the hall and just respect the fact of what it is.”
A business like the hall needs someone local to own it, so they can be there regularly, Kleinecke said.
“I lived about 10 minutes away from the hall,” she said. “I was there three or four days a week all day long.”
Kleinecke said she hopes whoever owns it in the future has a dance every weekend or more often.
“I hope someone local buys it; it needs that to take it to the next level, getting back to where it was when I had it,” she said.
Kleinecke will help whoever buys it however she can, she said.
Caleb Staudt, 32, of Victoria, is in a local band called No Chance. The band has played at the hall three times in the past 18 months, he said.
In April 2016, the band had its CD release party at the hall when they dropped their first album.
The best part about playing at the hall is the history the building holds inside it, Staudt said.
“The first time I got on that stage, the immediate thing that jumped to my mind was the people that played on that stage and had that same view looking out on that dance floor,” he said. “It’s really neat to get to play the stage that Dwight Yoakum has played on as well as other big names.”
Staudt would like someone to buy the hall who understands and respects the history behind it, he said. He also hopes the buyer keeps it as a music venue.
“There are only so many places where live music comes to the Crossroads,” he said. “That’s one of the major venues in the Crossroads region. If we lose that, it will make live music a little less accessible.”
Although Guller is selling the hall, he wishes the best for it.
“I own some venues in Austin that are historical in nature; it’s just near and dear to me that the hall’s tradition continues,” he said. “I love the hall. Unfortunately, our company doesn’t have the ability to make it successful for years to come.”
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Information from: The Victoria Advocate, https://www.victoriaadvocate.com
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