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| Institution Name: Stetson University
Original/Historic Place Name: DeLand Hall
Location on Campus: 503 N. Woodland Blvd.
Date(s) of Construction and Designer(s): Type of Place: Individual building
Style(s): (Glossary)
Materials:
| Foundation: piers of brick; lattice infill | | Walls: wood (balloon frame); clapboard drop siding (exterior); patterned wood shingles (exterior, second floor) | | Roof: composition shingle | | | Function:
| ca. 1884 | other (offices) | | ca. 1884 | residence hall | | ca. 1884 | library | | ca. 1884 | gymnasium | | ca. 1884 | dining hall | | ca. 1884 | classrooms (including recitation rooms) | | ca. 1884 | chapel | | post- 1884 | residence hall (women) | | post- 1884 | Greek letter society (fraternity house) | | post- 1884 | academic department building (School of Music, departments of speech and theater) | | ca. 2004-present (2007) | administration (President, Academic Affairs, VP of Development, Institutional Research, Board of Trustees meeting room) |
Significance: architecture, education, history
Landmark designation: | National Register | Stetson University Campus Historic District (1991); DeLand Hall (1983) | Narrative: see below
References: see below |
Narrative:
The city of DeLand, the home of Stetson University, was founded in 1876 by Henry DeLand, a chemical manufacturer from the state of New York. In 1882, DeLand set about establishing a university in the fledgling community. No four year institution, either public or private, yet existed in Florida. Preparations for opening the university began in the summer of 1883, and in November, thirteen students were enrolled in DeLand Academy, with classes being held in a rented local church building.
DeLand Hall, built in 1884 as the first building of what would become Stetson University, is the oldest building in Florida in continuous use for higher education. It is a wood-frame Second Empire style building, with a mansard roof and a three-story bell tower that rises above the central entranceway. Until two years later, when Stetson Hall was erected, DeLand Hall was the only campus building and contained the entire school. Since then, it has served various functions and today houses administrative offices. DeLand Hall was restored in 1981, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It was restored again in 2002, and is in excellent condition.
| References: | | I. Bibliographic sources: | DeLand Hall [Stetson University]. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1983.
Johnston, Sidney. "The Historic Stetson University Campus in DeLand, 1884-1934." Florida Historical Quarterly (January 1992): 281-304.
Lycan, Gilbert L. Stetson University: The First Hundred Years. DeLand, FL: Stetson University Press, 1983.
Shiver, W. Carl. Stetson University Campus Historic District. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1991.
A Walk with the Founders: Stetson University Campus Historic District. Booklet. [DeLand, FL: Stetson University/Public Relations Office], 1996.
| | II. Location of other data: | | University: Special Collections | | SHPO | | Government Offices | | Other: Office of Marketing and Communications, Stetson U. | |
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