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COUPLAND — A Central Texas country music landmark will have its final curtain call in October but will find new life through Elgin-based wellness.
The Old Coupland Inn and Dancehall is set to close Oct. 11, marking the end of an era for a stage that once drew icons like Pat Green, Kevin Fowler and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. After the farewell show at 101 Hoxie St., headlined by Kenny Orts, the building will be donated to Foundation Stone Wellness, a mental health and addiction rehabilitation center with a residential facility in Elgin.
“[Foundation Stone] will preserve the building and will be an asset to the city of Coupland and Williamson County,” said dance hall owner Abbey Road. “They are working through their specific plans and they intend to be very community oriented, and offer wellness programs and community events inside the building.”
Road cited multiple reasons for closing the popular venue — which dates back to 1904 — including rising costs, changes in the music industry and economic shifts. “I’ve been in the music business for many years, buying talent for legendary dance halls,” Road said. “[Former operators] Barbara and Tim Worthy did a fantastic job of operating the dance hall in the late 1980s and built a solid foundation there.”
Road said she met with the Worthys and bought the establishment when they retired in 2017, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic slowed early progress.
“It’s very hard to work behind the scenes,” she said. “Things were great at first, but then we had the pandemic. A major shift in the music business and people’s habits also had an impact.”
With music acts scheduled every Saturday until closing time in fall, Road is planning a “proper goodbye” for the historic venue before it changes hands.
“We will celebrate the legacy of this dance hall from the beginning of its time through Oct. 11,” she said.
Foundation Stone Wellness describes itself as a premier mental health retreat offering psychiatric, medical and clinical care to clients seeking stability, growth and long-term recovery. Its programs draw from research-based practices, while also incorporating wellness and lifestyle tools such as meditation and journaling.
By expanding into the dance hall, Foundation Stone leaders plan to pair their clinical work with broader community wellness and educational programs in Coupland. The organization says its staff works with clients to untangle complex emotions, adjust treatment needs and promote balanced living.
