Lower Greenville residents want to buy the Granada Theater before it's turned into a bathhouse
DALLAS - The Granada Theater is expected to be sold next year to be transformed into a bathhouse, but some residents want to pool their resources and save the beloved theater themselves.
Granada Theater sale
What we know:
In late October 2026, the current owners of the Granada Theater and the adjacent Sundown at Granada restaurant announced their intent to sell the property.
Open since 1946 on Lower Greenville Avenue, the Granada Theater has been owned by Mike Schoder and Julia Garton since 2004. Rising costs were one of the reasons cited for putting the theater up for sale.
The owners plan on selling the property to Mike Talmadge, the owner of spa business Bathhouse.
Bathhouse is described by Talmadge as similar to a spa, but with a social element. It already has locations in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey.
Bathhouse website
Sundown at Granada had its final day of operation on November 1, with private events continuing through the end of the year.
Save The Granada Theater campaign
Local perspective:
Before any prospective sale goes down, some Lower Greenville residents are trying to save the theater themselves.
A campaign called Save The Granada Theater is seeking to buy the property through private investors. The group is seeking non-profit ownership and has asked for state and city grants to help fund their cause.
The group is also working to secure a Historic Landmark designation for the 80-year-old building.
What they're saying:
On Thursday morning, Shoder, Talmadge, and concerned Lower Greenville residents met virtually to discuss the future of the Granada Theater.
Talmadge suggested the attempt to buy the theater wouldn't work out in the long term.
"I think Mike has proven that the economics of that are not viable," Talmadge said. For us, at this point, we've made a big commitment to this, and we've already invested a lot of money in the work that it takes to get to pre-development.
Mike Talmadge
Talmadge says he's planning on having the new Bathhouse location in place for "another 50 years." He also suggested other businesses in the area won't be affected by the theater's closure.
"We're a large-scale business, so what we will build there is going to be bigger than the current Granada and Sundown. And we can accommodate about the same amount of people or more per day that a show at the Granada can hold."
The current facade of the Granada Theater would stay in place as part of the new Bathhouse location, according to Talmadge.
"I think we have to be and we're up to the challenge of being the stewards of this epic iconic place that you went with your grandparents and has all this history. That's important to me. You know, whether you guys believe it or not, I'll prove it to you."
What's next:
The sale of the Granada Theater to Talmadge is expected to be finalized in April 2027.
Zoning requests for the new Bathhouse location could be approved by the City of Dallas as early as January.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the Granada Theater, the Save The Granada Theater campaign, and a virtual meeting between both parties.