Early draft reports suggest the Van Wezel is 'obsolete'

As the committee tasked to recommend adaptive reuse of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall enters the final two months of its work, members are beginning to submit drafts of their portions of their final report due by the end of June.

Members of the city’s Purple Ribbon Committee began receiving and reviewing reports during its last two meetings, the most recent on Wednesday, April 30. A common theme beginning to emerge is to conservatively maintain Van Wezel at a manageable level until the proposed Sarasota Performing Arts Center comes online.

Afterward, it should cease to function in its current form.

Chairman Charles Cosler — whose expertise lies in architecture, design of performing arts centers and reuse of large public structures and buildings — wrote the stage and administrative wing at 25 years of age and the auditorium and public spaces at 55 years, the building and multiple components are demonstrating obsolescence. 

“The greater obsolescence is the location of the hall only 15 feet away from the Sarasota Bay,” Cosler wrote. “The number and severity of storms is more than a threat — it makes continued use of the Van Wezel risky. Milton caused the loss of three months of booked shows and negatively affected local arts groups that rent the Van Wezel like the Sarasota Orchestra, Ballet and Concert Association.”

He also wrote the design of the auditorium fails to meet the standards for contemporary presentations from the low ceiling, steep seating area, wide fan shape and low ceiling, all inhibiting the patron experience and acoustic standards.

“The age and obsolescence of the building, its location, systems and equipment would suggest that the building has served the community long and well despite its shortcomings,” wrote Cosler. “Further, the subsuming of its purpose and function by the new (performing arts center) will make the hall redundant.”

Much of that assumes the building of the new SPAC. Obstacles still remain there, including the frequently postponed implementation agreement between the city and the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation. At its March 17 meeting, the City Commission postponed a vote on that agreement. A special meeting was to take place prior to May 5, but has not occurred.

Robert Bunting, the committee’s climate expert, echoed Cosler’s point about proximity to the bay in the face of an increasing number of tropical weather systems, putting the Van Wezel at growing risk of flood and structural damage in both the near and long term. 

“Although short-term patches can be made to improve short-term viability of the (Van Wezel), many of these risks can be lowered significantly with the opening of a new, better-located SPAC,” wrote Bunting in his draft report. “Any reuse of the (Van Wezel) needs to consider the extreme weather, storm characteristics and the negative impacts of the westernmost walls of the present building as major inputs to the decision making process.”

Presuming the SPAC continues to move forward, how much to invest in maintenance and capital improvements of the current hall will require careful consideration, Van Wezel Executive Director Mary Bensel told the committee. Members agree in keeping the Van Wezel in operational order until replacing it with the SPAC. Basics such as air conditioning, plumbing, electrical systems and some level of waterproofing will be necessary to keep the building operational for the next five to seven years.

“Repurposing the Van Wezel is a complex issue, requiring careful consideration of its historical value, structural limitations and financial feasibility,” wrote member Melissa Gissinger. “While there is community support for preserving the building, there are significant challenges related to cost and functionality. … The continued financial sustainability and the building’s functionality and resiliency are the most pressing issues that have to be answered before emotional decisions about the building can be considered.”

Demand for use of the building appears to be a factor in those decisions. During the 18 months the committee has received input from the public and local performing arts organizations, none of the latter have demonstrated the resources, audience and budget for short-term rentals of the facility, nor is it financially viable to keep a building the size of the Van Wezel operating while not used, according to Cosler.

In the interim, though, Cosler recommends immediate implementation of recommendations included in the 2025 Karins’ Engineering report to protect the building from future storms, which itself could cost millions. Then, after building the SPAC, turn the Van Wezel into an amphitheater. 

“Because the building is not sustainable in its present location, and mostly because the building’s location, mass and parking lot is antithetical to the philosophy of The Bay park, we recommend the removal of the building and the parking lot,” wrote Cosler. “In its place, we suggest the erection of an open, much smaller roof structure that would provide shelter for a temporary stage.”

Whether that statement is the ultimate conclusion of the entire committee will be determined by the end of June.