The Von Minden Hotel was constructed in 1927 and first opened its doors as a theater. A new section would open one year later as a hotel. It had 40 guest rooms. And today is the only surviving part of the hotel. Today, it remains the only surviving hotel in Texas that houses an operating theater.
Among the many ghosts there is the tragic ghost associated with Room #37. The story is that an injured World War Two paratrooper came to the hotel on his way home to his family after having been declared missing in action. When he arrived at the hotel, he was given several given several letters written by the woman he loved, and he began reading them out of sequence. Upon reading a letter in which the woman wrote that she was leaving him, the distraught veteran jumped to his death. Had he read the other letters that followed, he’d have discovered her regret and learned that she still loved him and wanted to be with him.
One of the owners of the hotel had a wife who passed away from cancer. She was a teetotaler. Every time he walked through the hotel hallway with a drink in his hand, it would get knocked out of his hand.
Room 23 was a Railroad worker who went to bed sick and woke up dead and they had to have a co-worker (a very small co-worker) climb through the transom to open the locked door.
An unknown lady in a polka-dot dress and a broad-brimmed straw hat, white gloves, about 20 years old and carrying a cardboard suitcase.
June 29, 2023 According to the Fayette County Reporter the Von Minden was forsale:
The Von Minden Hotel in Schulenburg is up for sale.
Lockwood Realty Group of San Antonio is the listing agent for the 17,036 sq. ft. building. The price is listed as “subject to offer.”
A group of local investors purchased the property in 2017 and began renovations. According to the listing, “The property has undergone partial renovations, including asbestos abatement, electrical and plumbing service, exterior and windows.”
The Von Minden Hotel was built in 1927. Prior to its sale in 2017, the Pettit Family of Schulenburg owned and operated the hotel along with The Cozy Movie Theater, which was located on the first floor.
“The property currently features 34 well-appointed guest rooms, as well as a large theater room, lobby and bar area making it an ideal location for events and gatherings,” the listing says.
The Record reached out to a representative of the current owners, but they declined to comment.
2-months earlier Lonnie William Pettit passed away on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, at the age of 70.
He was born on November 6, 1952, in Houston to parents, Bill and Betty Pettit. Growing up in a musical family perfected his craft of musicianship, and he will be remembered by all for his immense musical talent.
The Pettit family of Schulenburg, Texas, is a prominent, deeply rooted local family known for their contributions to hospitality, entertainment, and historic preservation. Patriarch Bill and his wife Betty operated the Von Minden Hotel, Cozy Theater, and Momma’s Pizza.
This is the simple annoucment of bill Pettit’s passing in 2020:
Bill Pettit is survived by his daughter Kari Ginn/husband John of Schulenburg, Texas; sons-Lonnie Pettit, Darryl Pettit/wife Gigi and Garrett Pettit all of Schulenburg, Texas; sister-Pat Thompson of Pattison, Texas; 3 grandchildren; and 3 great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents and his wife Betty.
Bill and Betty are buried in the Old High Hill Cemetery in Schulenberg Texas.
Sengelmann Hall in Schulenburg will close on Jan. 31, 2025 Posted
The historic saloon and dancehall built in 1894 by the Sengelmann Brothers operated for almost 50 years before closing at the start of World War II. The building housed a Western Auto store for a while and then sat shuttered before its grand reopening in 2009. The current tenant, Garrett Pettit, has operated a restaurant, bar and event space inside the building for the last 13 years.
“It’s time for me to move on,” Pettit said in an interview with the Record last week. “The building upkeep is a lot. I’m 63 years old. It’s getting harder and harder.”
Dana Harper, who owns the building and restored it in 2009, decided to sell the property. Bubela Real Estate has it listed for $1,795,500.
“I put Sengelmann Hall on the market because I moved to Prague, Czech Republic 10 years ago and I get back to enjoy Sengelmann Hall less often these days,” Harper told the Record. “I’m a Texas Boy and I love Texas dance halls. They need to be used and taken care of by the community. I feel like I made my small but important contribution to Texas culture by restoring Sengelmann Hall (and the original City Meat Market, adjacent) and reopening it after 50 years. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a very special place and I hope the community will continue to enjoy it for generations to come. I also hope I can pass the torch to the next proprietor who will take care of it and consider having a respectable live music program upstairs and take advantage of the dance floor. That would be great for the community. It is a wonderful tradition for the whole family that our ancestors passed to us.”
Harper bought the hall in the late 1990s.
“I grew up going to other dancehalls like Gruene Hall and I thought it was a shame that Sengelmann hall never reopened after WWII,” Harper said. “The community actually forgot what was upstairs. It was turned it into a Western Auto and they kept parts upstairs on the dancefloor.”
Harper said there were still party decorations adorning the hall from the last dance that took place upstairs. He said the dance floor was strewn with glass beads that had fallen from dancer’s dresses.
“I think the spirits or ghosts there or whatever you want to call them played a role in my decision to do what I did,” he said.
Garrett has been involved with the hall in one way or another since the reopening of 2009.
“I was hired in 2009 as a consultant and front of the house manager,” Pettit said. “I ended up being the bar manager and front of house manager.
“I did that for about six months, but my job in Austin was calling me back, so I went back to Austin,” he said. “Then a couple of years later, in 2011, I moved back to Schulenburg. They asked me if I had any interest in coming back, and I said, ‘Sure, I’ll give it a try.’ I’ve been here 13 years.”
Quick Links
Pettit previously managed Momma’s Pizza, the pizza kitchen attached to the old Cozy Theater and Von Minden Hotel in Schulenburg. His parents, Bill and Betty Pettit, owned and operated the hotel and theater, and Betty ran Momma’s Pizza before her passing in 2002.
When Garrett returned to Sengelmann for a second stint, he brought the pizza recipes with him and rebranded the restaurant “Momma’s at Sengelmann Hall.” The Hall’s restaurant was already famous for dishes like pork schnitzel. Pettit added some new offerings like Momma’s pizza and fried chicken. His plate lunch specials on Sunday have become a Schulenburg institution.
“Sunday is our busiest day,” he said.
Pettit plans to open a catering and take-out business operated from his home after Sengelmann Hall closes. Pettit said he wanted to scale down his business to a size he can operate by himself with some part-time help.
“I’m thinking about offering some to-go food, like pizza, fried chicken, chicken fried steak, some meals” he said. “I haven’t decided on a name yet, but it’s going to be pick up and delivery only.”
ORDER GARRETT’S HOMEMADE FOOD HERE
The Original and Locally Owned Austin Ghost Tours and Investigations