SMU shuts down Jack’s Pub (Photo by John Schreiber, The Daily Campus)

Another campus hangout closed its doors as Jack’s Pub and Volley Ball Club ceased operations at its Yale Boulevard location. The closing came just more than a year after another popular SMU haunt, The Green Elephant, closed its doors.Owner Mark Kelcher says that the club closed due to parking issues.

“We had a lease on the old movie theater parking lot, but we were unable to renew that lease,” Kelcher said.

SMU owns the property and lot surrounding the old United Artists movie theater that was adjacent to the Jack’s property.

Kelcher said that SMU told him in September that it was not going to allow Jack’s to renew the lease on the lots. Without that lease, Jack’s would be unable to stay open due to a low parking to occupancy ratio.

Jack’s closed at the end of December when the lease on the parking lots expired. Kelcher and his brother, who owned the club together, decided to sell the one acre of property Jack’s sits on to SMU. The Dallas County Appraisal District valued the property at $129,540 in 2005.

“We were definitely doing great financially,” Kelcher said. “And it’s absolutely a disadvantage to lose that location.”

Kelcher looked for but could not find any land nearby that would be financially acceptable.

A new Jack’s is tentatively scheduled to open in March in the South Side by Lamar development in downtown Dallas. Kelcher said the new club will have six sand courts and one water volleyball court.

Until then, Kelcher says that pretty much all of the old Jack’s staff is currently working at Kelcher’s Metro Grill. To all of the loyal patrons, he said,”Thanks for a great 11 years at the old location.”

The Daily Campus’ calls to representatives of Peruna Properties and SMU went unanswered.