One of the area's oldest businesses—Tin Hall—is facing the risk of closing its doors after nearly 125 years of service, according to owner Fred Stockton.

Tin Hall has been in the Stockton family for generations as a music and dance venue for private parties, weddings, concerts and special events, but may have to close its doors due to a decline in business and rising prices.

"We've always continuously renovated the property," Stockton said. "Its like a ship—you start at one end until you finish, then start back at the other end. If you don't continuously work on it you get so far behind you can't fix it. The building is still in pretty good shape. I could spend the money to make it better, but what's the attraction? But I'm not going to let the termites win. I have to make a decision: do I keep putting money into it and wait for business to turn around, or sell?"

Stockton is scheduled to renew his liquor license in February, at which time he said he will decide whether to stay open for another two years, or sell the business. Several offers have been made on the property, but most parties are interested in only the land and not the structure itself, Stockton said.

"Nothing is set in stone yet," he said. "If the economy comes back and business picks up, or if the people can convince the county commissioner to reopen that road, things could change."

When Harris County Precinct 3 re-routed Huffmeister Road to connect with Telge Road several years ago, Tin Hall found itself situated on a no outlet street adjacent to a new apartment complex development, which may have contributed to decline in business, Stockton said.

"I'm the only [business] on Tin Hall road," he said. "Since we have been located at the end of this dead end, our business started dying and continues to spiral downward. If I could get the road open again, maybe [business] could bounce back."

Certain unincorporated areas around Texas have historic landmark commissions in place that consider aspects of historical architecture, archaeology and preservation. Each year, countless historic buildings across the nation fall victim to demolition. Protections offered by various ordinances range from no commissions to weak commissions to strong commissions across the country.

"I purposely did not certify [Tin Hall] as a historical structure because if I make it a marker I will never be able to sell it," Stockton said. "It's a great idea, but once you think it all the way through, it's like ordering a big fat steak that you can't eat and you can't sell."

Stockton describes the possibility that several contributing factors led to this lack of business and came together as "the perfect storm."

"The road closing was the beginning of the end," he said. "The baby-boomers aren't able to save money for their children's weddings, college costs are going up, and graduates aren't making the money they once did."

Rising property taxes and costs on alcohol, insurance, property liability and utilities add on to the problem as well, and more and more people are doing destination weddings or smaller scale weddings, Stockton said.

"[The business] is out of sight, out of mind," he said. "When it's not right there in front of your nose, you forget about it. The public seems to think that Tin Hall has always been there and it will always be there. I do public dances once a month and have an event planned for Thanksgiving and New Years Eve party. This will be the 125th News Years party."

Services provided by Tin Hall include catering, floral arrangements and dcor, a trained wait staff, live music, photography and valet parking. For special events, Tin Hall is able to provide an array of features such as horse drawn carriages, helicopter and limo service, a mechanical bull, a petting zoo, bounce houses, a climbing wall, fireworks shows and keg beer. Rentals are available starting at 4-hour blocks and include set-up, a full-service bar, professional lighting and light shows, sound system, on-site security, and clean-up. With about 24,000 square-feet of space and a 4,400 square-foot dance floor, the multi-level venue can host more than 1,200 guests.