OPINION: The Van Wezel deserves to stay - and we need answers on its fate

We are grandchildren of Lewis Van Wezel, whose generous donation to the city of Sarasota of $400,000 –about one-quarter of the total building costs – led to the creation of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and the establishment of the Van Wezel Foundation Inc. to support the facility.

Several weeks ago, we were shocked to learn that the city of Sarasota had entered into an agreement authorizing an entity known as the Sarasota Performing Arts Center to make unilateral decisions that will undermine the ability of the Van Wezel to carry out its mission as a venue for the performing arts in Sarasota.

As the descendants of Lewis Van Wezel, we share the concerns expressed by Georgia Court in her recent guest column regarding the detrimental impact of this agreement on the city and its arts community.  However, we have additional concerns about the matter that are specific to our family legacy. 

First, we are concerned about the decision-making process that led to this abrupt determination regarding the Van Wezel's fate. The lack of transparency throughout this process offends responsible stewardship, and it offends the legacy of philanthropy and public service that our grandfather’s example represents.

Second, we are astonished by several provisions in the agreement that threaten to doom the useful life of –and, indeed, the physical survival of – the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

For example, one provision forbids the Van Wezel from offering any performances that would directly compete with the Sarasota Performing Arts Center's facility once it opens. A second provision redirects all operating revenues generated by the Van Wezel to the Sarasota Performing Arts Center. And a third provision calls for a yet-unnamed "blue ribbon panel" to decide the Van Wezel's future by early May 2023.

Given the lack of transparency that has already been demonstrated by the city’s agreement with the Sarasota Performing Arts Center, we can only assume that our interests, and those of the larger Sarasota community, will not be taken into consideration.

To justify its $350 million-plus plan to replace the Van Wezel, the Sarasota Performing Arts Center has exaggerated and distorted the deficits of the facility and the practical potential of overcoming them.

For example, a leading urban entertainment economist consultant retained by the Sarasota Orchestra has determined that the Van Wezel still has plenty of life. After $20 million was invested to update the hall, it now has a state-of-the-art sound system and other amenities to attract the productions it highlights.

Moreover, the Van Wezel’s vulnerability to climate change will be no greater than that of the proposed performing arts center. Indeed, any objections to improving the structure based on Federal Emergency Management Agency rules could be put to rest by designating the Van Wezel as a site on the National Historic Registry.

These considerations must be urgently addressed by the city government and the philanthropic community –not only to save the Van Wezel's legacy, but to ensure that Sarasota and its citizens do not pursue an unnecessary and grandiose project that could endanger Sarasota’s financial solvency.

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall was built nearly 60 years ago to serve the citizens of Sarasota by providing an incubator for creativity in Sarasota – and a magnet for other artistic endeavors. The building itself is an architectural gem: it was designed by William Wesley Peters, a prodigy of Frank Lloyd Wright who became the chairman of Taliesin Associated Architects after Wright’s death.

Since its opening, the Van Wezel has helped make Sarasota a veritable mecca for music, ballet, opera and theater, and we are proud of this accomplishment. However, we are now appalled to see our family’s legacy threatened.

We have expressed many of our concerns in writing to the current head of the Sarasota Performing Arts Center, and we are awaiting a response. Along with our personal stakes as direct descendants of Lewis Van Wezel, we identify with the interests of the citizens of Sarasota who deserve a  responsible and transparent guardian of the rich performing arts tradition that our grandfather helped to foster.

Anthony Van Wezel Stone, the oldest living descendant of Lewis Van Wezel, lives in Bradenton. He is a semi-retired police and forensic psychologist and author, and he is also the founder and  past president of an international risk management consulting practice. Katherine V.W. Stone is a retired professor of law at UCLA and lives in Los Angeles.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: The Van Wezel is a venue and a legacy worth saving in Sarasota