Stetson University receives ECHO grant for renovation of Stover Theatre

By Stetson University
SPECIAL TO THE BEACON

posted Mar 27, 2009 - 8:59:49am

Among ECHO grants awarded this month by the Volusia County Council is $388,522 to help with exterior renovation of Stetson University’s historic Stover Theatre, at 535 N. Florida Ave.

The project, whose total cost is $777,044, will include restoration of the theater’s brick mortar joints, replacement of the roof, renovation of the historic downspouts and canopy, and the sealing, waterproofing and caulking of the windows and basement walls and basement window wells.

Work will begin this summer and take about 10 months. The theater will remain open to the public for a full schedule of performances during this phase of the renovation.

“Both the historical legacy of this building and its continuing use as the home of Stetson’s Theatre Arts program justify its preservation,” said Dr. Ken McCoy, chairman of Communication Studies and Theatre Arts at Stetson.

Further renovation of the interior and expansion of the theater facilities are planned. The university is raising money for that project.

Phase II will include interior renovations, and Phase III plans include landscaping and a promenade that will better connect the theater to Woodland Boulevard (U.S. Highway 17-92) and the main campus.

Stover Theatre was constructed in 1930, and has been in continuous use for 78 years, making it the first separate building designed and built specifically for the purpose of theater production by a Florida university.

It was officially named for Stetson’s beloved professor of speech and theater, Dr. Irving Stover, in 1938.

Plays have been presented at Stetson since 1896, but the first regular and complete season took definite shape in 1906. Since then, more than 700 productions have taken place.

Theatre Arts is now in its 103rd season and, this year, has four productions.

Volusia ECHO provides $3.5 million a year for constructing Environmental, Cultural, Historical and Outdoor recreation (ECHO) facilities. Projects are recommended through a competitive grant process, and the grants are approved by the county’s governing body, the Volusia County Council. This year, 21 projects were funded countywide.

— info@beacononlinenews.com

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