Last week, the second-oldest dance hall in all of Texas went up for sale on eBay. Schroeder Hall, a venue with roots back to the 1800s, hosted some of the biggest names in country music. Now, Victoria native Linda Krause calls the iconic property her own.
Krause won the eBay auction for the reasonable price of $499,700. The auction included the historic venue, along with nearly seven acres of property, a historic schoolhouse and two homes.
Krause told the Victoria Advocate her decision to buy Schroeder Dance Hall was a "no-brainer." For Krause, the club has serious sentimental value, too. She and late husband Bill Krause frequented the spot every weekend when they dated.
"He died 11 years ago," Krause says. "I was outside there today looking at it, and it brought back memories of me and my husband... it was kind of sad and happy at the same time." The pair talked about buying the place if it ever went up for sale, so she took no chances. Krause says husband Bill would be "over the moon happy" about the purchase.
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But, Krause says, she wasn't sure she'd actually win. She put in her winning bid when the highest bid was still around half hers. "I just thought other people would bid more than me," Krause says. Within a few days of going live, the auction accrued more than $200,000 in bids.
The way eBay works, bidders can place the largest amount they're willing to spend. Then, every time somebody else bids, it automatically ups the highest bid in small increments.
But Krause plans to invest further in the property. She plans to make some much-needed upgrades, including making it ADA compliant so folks with disabilities can enjoy the venue.
She also has a few other upgrades in mind. But most of all, she wants to make sure great music from top-notch talent continues to head off the beaten path to play the venue. She wants a mix of local acts and big regional names, from country and western to whatever is popular.
One thing is for certain: it's sure nice to see a local with so much invested in the music venue and old dance hall step up and purchase it. Now, Schroeder Hall's legacy in Texas music history lives on.
