Two years after its last dance, Kendalia Halle still doesn't have a new owner. The 120-year-old wooden hall in Kendalia, Texas, closed permanently on July 31, 2024, after abruptly ending its season, and the 2.3-acre property — located at 1135 FM 3351 between Comfort and Canyon Lake — remains on the market with an asking price of $669,000.
Kendalia Halle opened in 1903, built from Oregon red fir timber that was hauled by train to Boerne and then by horse-drawn wagon the rest of the way to Kendalia, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The Nicholas Spring Musical Group built the hall alongside local residents, and it has served as a gathering spot for Hill Country locals ever since — hosting community dances and weddings for generations. As MySA reports, the sale includes not just the main hall but the neighboring Elbel Building and an 825-square-foot residence that could be used as a primary home, a rental, or an Airbnb or VRBO.
Blanco County residents Lee and Judi Temple bought the complex in 1996, with Lee running the venue for 10 years and Judi carrying it forward for 20 more before the decision was made to sell. Per the Express-News, Judi Temple said parting with the property was bittersweet after decades of hosting dances and weddings there. Schwab Ranch Investments first listed the hall for $550,000 in the year after its closure before re-listing it later at $669,000 — with promotional photos from the brokerage displaying an asking price of $699,000, per a photo caption cited by MySA.
A Century of Wear, and Decades of Repair
Keeping a 120-year-old wooden dance hall standing hasn't been simple. Over the past three decades, the building was straightened by 12 inches using pulleys and its foundation reinforced with concrete and steel, according to CultureMap Dallas. The property also received new insulation and interior wood paneling along the way.
The neighboring Elbel Building, built in 1911 by local businessman George Elbel, has served as home to multiple businesses over the years. Its basement once housed a German-style cellar bar known as the Rathskeller, alongside a kitchen — adding commercial potential to the 2.3-acre sale beyond the dance hall itself.
Kendalia Halle also carries musical weight. Country singer Gary P. Nunn, known as the “Ambassador of Texas Music,” regularly performed there and called its wooden dance floor one of his favorite stages in the state, frequently headlining Saturday night dances at the venue, per CultureMap Dallas.
How Kendalia Halle Compares to Other Texas Dance Halls
Kendalia Halle isn't the only historic Hill Country venue hunting for a buyer. Senglemann Hall, a 130-year-old dance hall in Schulenburg, closed in January 2025 after its longtime owner moved to Europe and is now listed for almost $1.8 million, according to The Fayette County Record. That hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 following a major restoration. At $669,000, Kendalia Halle is priced at roughly one-third of Senglemann Hall's asking price, even as both properties continue seeking new owners.
Not every story ends in a prolonged search, though. The 120-year-old Coupland Dancehall near Austin announced its permanent closure in August 2025 due to rising expenses, only to be rescued two months later when event promoter Lightstream Presents bought and reopened it, according to Saving Country Music. Coupland reopened for live shows in November 2025, offering a hopeful precedent for other endangered halls.
A Vanishing Piece of Texas Culture
Kendalia Halle's uncertain fate reflects a broader trend across the state. Texas was once home to roughly 1,000 rural dance halls established by European immigrant communities — many built by Czech, German, Polish, and Swiss farmers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — but fewer than 400 remain standing today, and about a quarter of those are considered at risk of severe decay, according to the Los Angeles Times.
That backdrop is part of why Texas Dance Hall Preservation Inc. is watching the Kendalia sale closely. The nonprofit's president, John Faulk, has said local preservationists hope a buyer will purchase Kendalia Halle to honor its historical value rather than redevelop the property, per MySA's report. The organization works to document and protect historic venues across the state, but there are no deed restrictions tied to the unincorporated Kendalia property, leaving open whether a future owner will keep the hall dancing or repurpose it entirely.
