A historic, decades-old Texas landmark and live-music venue has been sold and will change over to a whole new kind of business. Dallas’ Granada Theater, a staple in the northeast area of the city, will soon become a wellness center.
“After 34 years on Greenville Avenue, we have made the decision to sell the Granada Theater and Sundown at the Granada, and bring this remarkable chapter of our lives to a close,” read the post from owners Mike Schoder and Julia Garton. They said the Granada will continue to host events through April 17, 2027, and that its restaurant Sundown at the Granada will close Nov. 1, 2026 to the public, and will fulfill private events through the end of the year.
“For 22 years at the Granada and 15 years at Sundown, we’ve poured our hearts into these places, the music, the people, and the thousands of unforgettable nights and memories made within their walls,” continued the announcement. “Walking away isn’t easy. But sometimes knowing when to turn the page is as important as knowing when to start the story.”
Schoder and Garton continued, noting that running a live-music venue comes with serious challenges in the 2020s. They cited “rising costs, shifting audiences, and corporate consolidation” as just some of the obstacles for owners and operators trying to stay afloat.
The theater opened in 1946 as a movie house, then underwent several changes—from presenting live music to being a pornographic movie theater in the 1970s—before Schoder and Garton took over in 2004 and doubled down on keeping it a live-music venue. Over the years it’s hosted acts including Guster, Jeff Tweedy, Portugal. The Man, St. Vincent and System of a Down.
But now the Granada will turn into a bathhouse called—what else—Bathhouse. In their announcement Saturday, Schoder and Garton said they rejected developers seeking to turn the lot into apartments and touted the New York-based business that offers spa services, sauna rituals and massages. Bathhouse has three locations in New York, plus one in Philadelphia, and others coming soon in Chicago and New Jersey.
“Granada brought people together for the music while Sundown gave them a place to gather over food, drinks, and friendship,” they wrote. “Bathhouse will bring people together through wellness, relaxation, and connection. Different experiences, but the same spirit of community.”
Several commenters of the Instagram post thanked Schoder and Garton for the memories, but a healthy number of respondents were angry they decided to sell the theater to what might be its ultimate demise.