Historic Florida Campus : Old College Building Given New Uses

The two-story building that once housed all of Stetson University, continues to hold center stage at the school’s campus here. Recently renovated, DeLand Hall is acclaimed as the oldest building in continuous use for higher education in Florida.

“There was anguish when people wanted to tear it down,” says Etter Turner, who spent her undergraduate years in the early 1930s living in DeLand Hall when it served as Stetson’s women’s residence. She retired in 1977 as dean of students.

The move to tear down the wooden building lingered for years even after major repairs were made on the foundation and electrical system in the early 1970s. A decision to restore DeLand Hall and use it as the school’s principal administrative building was made in the late 1970s by Pope A. Duncan, Stetson’s president.

Founder of City

The university was established in November, 1883 as DeLand Academy. It was named for Henry DeLand, a baking-powder manufacturer, who had founded the city seven years earlier. Oak trees that DeLand planted 50 feet apart along prospective streets of the city still stand.

DeLand Academy started in the town’s Baptist church, used until the city founder donated the two-story building on four acres of land located on what is now U .S. 17 or Woodland Boulevard. The building opened its doors Oct. 13, 1884, for about 50 students.

Classrooms, recitation rooms, chapel, library, offices and the gymnasium were all squeezed into DeLand Hall.

The following year, enrollment increased to 88 and the school’s name was changed to DeLand College.

Stetson’s Donation

With the name change, a few dormitory rooms were made in DeLand Hall for some of the women students. A kitchen and dining room were added.

It wasn’t until the 1886-87 academic year that a student residence hall was constructed.

Hat manufacturer John B. Stetson contributed $2.5 million toward the cost, and in 1889 the college became Stetson University.

By 1893, DeLand Hall was used only for the music and mathematics departments. In 1911, kindergarten youngsters filled the building. Students in the normal school helped teach the preschoolers.

Two years later, DeLand Hall was converted into a Phi Kappa Delta fraternity house. Male students cavorted throughout the university’s birthplace for seven years.

Dorm for Women

In 1920, then president Lincoln Hulley had the structure remodeled and it served as the women’s residence hall for 17 years.

“It was pleasant and comfortable,” Turner, 72, says, recalling that she was one of 18 girls who moved into the dorm for the 1932-33 school year. “My most cherished college-made friendships were made in DeLand Hall.” She spent 54 years on the campus and now lives in an apartment within sight of the school.

In 1937, DeLand Hall was reconverted to an educational building. Stetson’s school of music became its tenant and remained there until 1969, when repair work began.

The exterior of the building, with green shutters and cocoa brown trim, has been returned to its original appearance. The architecture is “carpenter’s Gothic.” The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

DeLand Hall no longer resounds with the noise of young students or the sounds of vocal and instrumental music. It now serves as the corporate headquarters for one of the first centers of higher education in Florida. The president, provost and vice president for planning and development have their offices here, along with an elegant room used by the school’s board of directors.