Lower Greenville is set to lose two of its long-running live-music destinations: Mike Schoder and Julia Garton have sold the Granada Theater and its rooftop sibling, Sundown at Granada. Sundown’s last day of regular service is November 1, while the Granada is expected to host shows and events through April 17, 2027. Bathhouse, a wellness venue, is expected to take over the space in late 2028.
A Changing Landscape for Lower Greenville’s Live-Music Venues
Schoder and Garton confirmed the sale and closures to the Dallas Observer. The Observer reported that they operated the Granada for 22 years and Sundown for 15, and that the venues hosted more than 3,000 events and concerts combined. Regular service at Sundown ends November 1, but the space will remain available for private events through December 31, according to the same account.
The Granada is at 3524 Greenville Ave., according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Its rooftop neighbor, Sundown at Granada, opened in 2012, the Observer reported.
From Movie House to Music Hall
The Granada opened as a movie theater on January 16, 1946, with a screening of “Mildred Pierce,” according to Granada Theater. The venue’s website says it was converted to a 600-seat music hall in 1977; NBC 5 has described the original theater as a 700-seat movie house. After a return to movie screenings, the building became a full-time concert venue when Schoder reopened it in August 2004, the Observer reported.
Other Dallas-area theaters took different paths
The Granada’s planned conversion to a wellness venue is not the only recent theater-reuse story in the area. The Texas Historical Commission reports that Oak Cliff’s Kessler reopened in 2010 as a mixed-use venue, primarily for live music but also for community events and art exhibits. Garland’s Plaza Theater followed a different route: after the building was donated to the city in 1991, a city-coordinated planning and fundraising effort led to its reopening in 2001. It has since hosted movies and community theater, according to the commission.
Schoder’s connection to the local music business began with a CD World record store he opened at Mockingbird and Greenville in 1992, he told the Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate. “In 2004, the retail CD business had started to slide, so I had to diversify,” he told the outlet, describing his move into concert promotion as the record-store business declined. The Granada was named the Observer’s Best Live Music Venue from 2007 through 2010 and again in 2015, and was recently named one of the country’s top 50 venues, according to Granada Theater.
A Stage for Icons, Rising Stars and Rooftop Nights
Over the decades, the Granada's stage has hosted Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Steve Winwood, Peter Tork of the Monkees, Adele, Billie Eilish, Kacey Musgraves, Erykah Badu, Arctic Monkeys and Flatland Cavalry, according to the venue's own account and the Observer's reporting. Sundown at Granada built its own reputation hosting acts like Leon Bridges and the Texas Gentlemen, per the Observer.
Schoder said he will miss Sundown’s staff, rooftop sunsets, and time spent with friends before and after Granada shows, as well as seeing artists perform before they became widely known, the Observer reported. In explaining the sale, Schoder and Garton pointed to the demands of running the businesses and their desire for better work-life balance. They also described a live-music business that has changed since they began, with pressures that they said extend beyond their own venues.
Industry-Wide Pressure on Independent Stages
The Granada's closure lands amid broader financial strain on independent venues nationally. Research from the National Independent Venue Association found that 64% of independent stages are struggling with unprofitability tied to inflation, anti-competitive practices and predatory ticket resale, even as the sector generates billions in local, state and federal tax revenue. NIVA, founded in 2020 to lobby for pandemic relief, helped drive $16 billion in federal aid to the live-events industry during COVID-19 shutdowns.
Locally, Dallas has examined its nightlife economy in a City of Dallas economic study.
For Lower Greenville regulars, the countdown is now underway — Sundown's rooftop closes to regular crowds in just over a week, while the Granada's marquee is set to stay lit for shows for less than six months.
