Tin Hall will need to be relocated from where it currently stands in Cypress at 14800 Tin Hall Road.[/caption]The owner of the historic Cypress events venue Tin Hall is looking to relocate the facility as developers move forward with plans to redevelop the land.
Mark Martinez took over ownership of the venue after purchasing the property in October 2014. MHI McGuyer Homebuilders bought the 40 acres of land from Martinez soon after in an agreement in which Martinez kept ownership of Tin Hall and would look for a new location. The venue is located at 14800 Tin Hall Road, Cypress.
“Part of the reasoning was to give Tin Hall a much more visible, prominent location,” MHI McGuyer President Gary Tesch said. “It sort of gets forgotten about with all the development that’s happening around there.”
MHI is planning to build a neighborhood of single-family upscale homes on the 40 acres that will be part of Longwood Village, a nearby MHI community. Tesch said he is looking to start development in the spring and to be ready for home sales by late 2016 or spring 2017.
Martinez announced on the venue’s Facebook page in November that Tin Hall would close at its location at the end of the year. He said he was originally given 18-24 months to relocate, but market conditions sped up redevelopment plans.
The Facebook post garnered a lot of attention, he said, including from individuals and a variety of historical organizations looking to help find a place to relocate.
“We’ve had people from Cypress to Brenham come out of the woodwork,” Martinez said. “We’re meeting with people now and hoping to find a space. We have a very strong preference to keep Tin Hall in Cypress.”
The idea of moving an entire 24,000-square-foot facility seems confusing to a lot of people, Martinez said. However, with help from the Houston-based Cherry House Moving—a structural relocation company that moves multiple-story buildings, historical structures, locomotives and even trees—there should not be an issue, he said.
“It is financially and structurally possible for us to move Tin Hall by breaking it down into six different pieces and reassembling it,” Martinez said. “Tin Hall was built to last with rough cut pine two-by-fours. The roof was bolted together, not nailed. All of this makes it easier for relocation.”
Tin Hall has been hosting events in Cypress at its existing location since 1889. One of the first things Martinez said he would do if he is able to relocate it is to apply for a historical marker for the venue.
Since announcing the venue’s closure, Martinez said many people have told him how upsetting the news was.
“I’ve had some of the old-timers come up to me and tell me the stories of their first dance, their first drinks,” he said. “Tin Hall has always been a family venue. In my time here, I’ve seen a few third and fourth generation weddings.”
The final public event at Tin Hall’s current location is the annual New Year’s Eve party. Martinez said he encourages everyone to come out for the final curtain call, which will feature dancing, party favors, hats, Champagne and a live performance by The Lonely Road Band.
Anyone interested in getting involved or offering a possible solution for Tin Hall’s future location can reach out via email at [email protected].
