The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Cummings Gymnasium

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Institution Name: Stetson University
Original/Historic Place Name: Cummings Gymnasium
Location on Campus: 536 N. Woodland Blvd.
Date(s) of Construction:

1911	original construction Colton, Litchfield

Designer: Litchfield Colton
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Regionalist/Vernacular, Other (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, education
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: continuous concrete block

Walls: masonry brick

Roof: composition shingle

Function:

ca. 1911	gymnasium
ca. 2004-present (2006)	other (storage for stage sets)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	other (Music School rehearsal hall)

Narrative:
A two-story masonry vernacular building built in 1911, Cummings Gymnasium's architectural features include a flat roof, decorative carved rafter ends, buff sandstone brick construction, and artificial stone stringcoursing defining the foundation, interior level of the gym floor, and roof line. It was named for J. Howell Cummings, then president of the John B. Stetson Hat Company in Philadelphia, founded by Stetson University's major benefactor. Cummings donated $6,000 toward the $12,000 cost.

It was the second gymnasium built by Stetson. The first, a small wooden structure, now demolished, was said to be the earliest college gym in Florida. Two other gym facilities, the Edmunds Center (1974) and the Hollis Center (1998), have made Cummings obsolete as a gymnasium.

It is in good condition.

References:

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.