Advocates ask city to seek National Register eligibility for Van Weisel; commissioners debate timing

Advocates for listing the Van Weisel Theatre on the National Register of Historic Places told the City Commission on March 3 that the building meets federal historic criteria and that listing could open state and federal grant, tax‑credit and FEMA exceptions for the structure.

Lori Muldowney, past president of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, told the commission an architectural historian, Christine Madrid French, prepared a nomination package and that a preliminary site information questionnaire (PSIQ) could be submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office this month to request an official eligibility determination. Muldowney said eligibility would not force the city to preserve the theater, but would make rehabilitation grants, federal historic tax credits and FEMA exemptions accessible.

Why it matters: Speakers emphasized that National Register listing can unlock grant funding and a 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for private investors, and exempt listed structures from FEMA’s so‑called ‘‘50 percent rule’’ that can require demolition rather than costly repairs. Muldowney said her group believes the Van Weisel qualifies under multiple National Register criteria and that an out‑of‑town expert had documented previously underappreciated historical significance for the theatre.

Commissioner and committee concerns: Vice Mayor Trice and several commissioners said they were concerned about moving ahead with an eligibility request while the Purple Ribbon Committee — a city‑appointed advisory group convened to study the Van Weisel’s future — is completing its report this spring. Trice said the committee has been working for nearly a year and deserved the new research before the city sends materials to the state; Muldowney said that her group had secured a presentation date to the Purple Ribbon Committee (April 15) and that a state eligibility determination would be useful to the committee’s work. Other commissioners said National Register status would not legally prevent demolition and that grant awards often carry maintenance conditions.

What commissioners said: Commissioner Albrecht asked whether listing would prevent demolition; Muldowney and staff said it would not — owners can still demolish listed buildings — but grants or tax credits often carry multi‑year maintenance covenants. Trice argued for waiting to avoid undercutting the Purple Ribbon Committee’s process; Commissioner Koch and others said seeking eligibility in parallel could be helpful to the committee and was nonbinding.

Next steps: Advocates said they planned to submit materials to the state and present the historian’s findings to the Purple Ribbon Committee on April 15. Commissioners did not vote on this item; the group said they would continue to discuss the theater’s future through the Purple Ribbon Committee and follow‑up meetings.