Once a popular destination for diners, drinkers and dancers, the 115-year-old building has led a quieter life since the 1940s, housing a Western Auto shop for much of that time.
In June, the renovated structure opened its doors to a downstairs restaurant and saloon, an upstairs dance hall and an outdoor biergarten. In keeping with the cultural heritage of the Schulenburg region, midway between San Antonio and Houston, the culinary and musical themes of the establishment are a little bit Czech, a little bit German and a little bit cowboy.
The bar and live music continue the multicultural theme, offering a mix of European and Texas beers and popular “pre-Prohibition” mixed drinks. Polka, western swing and country bands keep the wood floors shaking four days a week.

Two Brothers Saloon

A century ago, residents of Schulenburg mingled with train passengers at the Two Brothers Saloon, housed in Sengelmann Hall. Singles stopped in for weekend dances, some entertaining the hope of finding a good Czech or German spouse. Families joined in as well, often bringing blankets for the kids to rest on while Mom and Dad enjoyed a dance.
One of those residents and spouse-seekers was Hugh Roy Cullen. At age 17, the future oil titan and philanthropist moved to Schulenburg, where he met and married Lillie Cranz. The young couple moved to Houston in 1911, but over the years, and through the generations, the family maintained connections with Schulenburg.
The saloon closed down in the mid-1940s, and the dance hall was boarded up. A few decades later, Cullen’s great-great-grandson, Dana Harper, found himself visiting the area with his grandfather. “I used to hear stories about the old dance halls in Schulenburg and other towns in the ‘Polka Belt,’” he recalls, “and they stuck in my mind.” So, when the opportunity arose in the late 1990s, he bought Sengelmann Hall.

Renewed and Improved

Collaborating with Houston architects Bill Stern and David Bucek, Harper has worked hard to restore the look and feel of the original. Much of the new Sengelmann Hall is just as it existed in the late 1800s. Aside from the doors, the facade is original, as are the marble columns, tin ceilings, plank floors, wainscot and staircase.
The scuffed up paint job on the walls is original, and the huge fountain in the biergarten used to sit on top of the cistern in front of the building.
To aid the preservation effort, Harper bought the old City Meat Market next door and used part of that building to install an elevator, bathrooms and kitchen to service Sengelmann Hall. “This allowed me to keep the Hall as close to original as possible,” he says.

Pul a Pul Cuisine

In its earlier heyday, drinkers and diners at the Two Brothers saloon could expect locally produced ingredients, prepared on site. Today, Dana Harper is working hard to carry on that tradition by forging relationships with local farmers and shaping his ever-changing menu around fresh, seasonal ingredients that don’t have to travel far to reach his kitchen. Even the head chef, Kenny Kopecky, is a local product.
The menu is described as pul a pul, which is Czech for “half and half”—in this case, half German and half Czech. But Harper readily acknowledges that, if the math worked, it might also qualify as “half American.”
Appetizers include sausages, potato pancakes and topinka, a Czech munchie made with rye bread fried in duck fat and rubbed with garlic. Main courses include pork shank, prime rib and hamburgers, along with rabbit, schnitzel, goulash and grits. Items made in-house include breads, crackers, pretzels, sauerkraut and condiments.
Dana Harper’s wife, artist Hana Hillerova Harper, who grew up in Prague, has provided family recipes to the in-house bakery.

Dance Card

Thursdays, Earl Poole Ball, Johnny Cash’s long-time piano player, plays downstairs (no cover). Fridays feature country acts, such as James Hand, Billy Joe Shaver and Bruce Robison. Saturdays finds groups such as Heybale, Marcia Ball, Asleep at the Wheel and Wayne Hancock. Sundays offer polka bands and dancing all afternoon.

Coming Soon

Dana Harper’s plans for Sengelmann Hall include opening a storefront retail outlet in the old meat market next door. The bakery and coffee shop will offer many of the items made in the restaurant kitchen.
Harper is also pumping new life into an old family farmstead 20 miles from the Hall. “That farm produced much of the food my family ate through the 1930s and 1940s,” he notes. He wants to raise vegetables, fruit and animals on the farm to supply the restaurant and provide retail sales. He is also raising bees to produce honey.
Long-time residents of Schulenburg are excited about the restored piece of their history, and eager to share stories of the great times they had at Sengelmann Hall. Now, thanks to Dana Harper, younger visitors can begin creating their own stories.

Sengelmann Hall
531 North Main Street
Schulenburg, TX 78956
979-743-2300
www.sengelmannhall.com

Music starts:
6 p.m. Thursdays (downstairs,
with Earl Poole Ball)
8 p.m. Fridays (contemporary Texas/country)
9 p.m. Saturdays (honky-tonk, western swing, classic country)
2 p.m. Sundays (usually polka, with polka lessons beginning at 12:30)

Restaurant, biergarten and saloon hours:
Thursdays: 5 p.m.-11 p.m. (restaurant closes at 10 p.m.)
Fridays: 5 p.m.-Midnight
(restaurant closes at 10 p.m.)
Saturdays: 5 p.m.-1 a.m.
(restaurant closes at 10 p.m.)
Sundays: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
(restaurant closes at 3 p.m.)