The Beacon's Opinion

posted May 3, 2012 - 10:32:19am

Stetson University can make good arguments for the destruction of Stover Theatre: the building is poorly located, expensive to operate, useless for academics, possibly poorly constructed in the first place and certainly outdated now. It doesn’t fit in the school’s master plan.

Some would say Stover hasn’t aged well over her 82 years.

The problem with those very logical arguments is that they can be applied to almost any historic structure in DeLand.

Indeed, with the city’s permission, Stetson University already demolished Stetson Hall and Hulley Tower, for similarly rational reasons.

If we stick with those arguments in every case where a historic building is inconvenient to preserve, eventually we can’t avoid radically altering the identity of DeLand as a town where historic preservation matters.

Many things make DeLand what it is, and many factors contribute to upholding what we want our town to be. One of those is Stetson University. Another is DeLand’s commitment to historic preservation.

Stetson has been a good and valuable DeLand community member. The university has shown a strong commitment to preservation, and has spent millions to assure the integrity of magnificent historic structures on the DeLand campus. Stetson recently spent millions more to beautify the campus.

We would be fools not to be grateful for these actions. We would be absurd, too, not to acknowledge that Stetson University elevates DeLand in a way that goes far beyond bricks, mortar and bushes, by helping shape the town’s cultural sophistication and quality of life far beyond the campus boundary.

But does all that somehow earn Stetson University the right to tear down Stover Theatre? We don’t think so.

We’re asking that the Stetson University board of trustees, the DeLand Historic Preservation Board and the DeLand City Commission vote to preserve Stover Theatre.

We’re asking, not lightly. We know spending money to maintain Stover Theatre — not to mention to restore it — could deprive Stetson University of funds it could use to benefit both DeLand and the university community in more quickly gratifying ways.

But we also believe DeLand’s aggregate inventory of historic structures means something. We urge the City of DeLand to be extremely cautious about the erosion of that inventory, even when preservation may seem illogical.

In a way, historic preservation is always illogical. If you have the money, isn’t something new, that’s built for today’s needs, with today’s improved materials and design, always safer, better, easier and more energy-efficient?

We urge Stetson University to see Stover Theatre as an opportunity not yet fully unfolded.

We believe Stetson is visionary enough and creative enough to somehow mothball Stover until its new purpose is evident, without breaking the budget.

Who knows what great use could be made of Stover Theatre? The Volusia County ECHO program already signaled its willingness to help with the cost. We can always decide later to tear it down, but once Stover Theatre is gone, it’s gone.

The Museum of Florida Art and Stetson University reached a creative agreement to house the university’s theater program in the museum building in a way that benefits both parties.

We’re certain the same sort of mutually beneficial future can bless Stover Theatre, and DeLand.

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