Because of the deteriorating condition of Stetson University’s Stover Theatre and after careful deliberations over the past year, the Board of Trustees approved the recommendation from the university administration to move forward with the removal of Stover Theatre this summer. This decision was made at the recent trustee meeting to seek a demolition permit from the City of DeLand.

Built in 1930 originally to serve as an assembly hall, Stover is the only building in Stetson’s Campus National Historic District built with a flat roof. It was built without an architect, by a contractor with no experience in theater construction, and has had many problems with water intrusion, flooding and air quality over the years.

In 2005, a self-study determined Stetson’s Theatre Arts program needed more than twice the space, including dedicated classroom space. A recent review shows Stover has only 27 percent of the theatre space of our peer institutions.

Stetson officials had hoped Stover could be restored and, about six years ago, had started raising money for a long-term, multi-phase renovation and expansion.

“By 2010, the theatre’s condition had been fully assessed, and the university realized the water damage was more extensive than originally thought,” said Associate Vice President for Facilities Management Al Allen. “We reviewed all options. It would have cost nearly $3 million to bring it up to acceptable use. The expansion, as originally envisioned, would not have even been possible under today’s city setback requirements.”

Two years ago, a master planning process for the DeLand campus was undertaken and, in 2011, the DeLand Campus Plan was adopted. That included the recommendation that use of Stover Theatre be discontinued at the end of the 2011-12 academic year. The DeLand Campus Plan calls for future construction of a new University Performance Hall for music, theatre, opera and other performances, with 1,200 seats in close proximity to Presser and McMahan halls.

As announced earlier this spring, the university is making a significant investment in the Theatre Arts program so that it can continue and grow, with no disruption, through the new partnership with the Museum of Florida Art. Extensive renovations are well under way and the Theatre Arts program will move into the museum and be ready for classes and performances starting in August.

“We want to have a facility that is consistent with the outstanding quality of Stetson’s Theatre Arts faculty and students, and we believe our new partnership with the Museum of Florida Art will advance Stetson’s vibrant Theatre Arts program,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Elizabeth “Beth” Paul.

Stetson will soon submit the application to remove Stover with the city and have a meeting before the Historic Preservation Board on June 7, Allen said.

“Our goal is to remove the building in July and convert the site to a park-like setting to improve the surrounding area,” he said.

Historic features including the four steel columns from the lobby of the theatre will be saved; brick from the building and possibly those columns will be used to create a historic marker.

“Stetson University remains committed to historic preservation,” Allen said. “At the same time that we amend our Campus National Historic District to remove Stover, we plan to add Allen Hall and Emily Hall to the district and Holler Fountain as a contributing structure. The university has always been a leader in the community in historic preservation and we look forward to a new era in that commitment.”