On December 12th of last year, the Granville Village Planning Commission approved the demolition of Denison’s Ace Morgan Theater. First opened in 1956 the building is dedicated to a Denison theater student, LeRoy Morgan, who was killed in combat during the Second World War. Posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, Morgan’s classmates and friends raised the money and support necessary to persuade the Denison administration to dedicate the then-new theater to him. Since 1956, it has been used to host a variety of productions, in addition to the administrative and logistical support wings needed by the Denison Theater department.

While the Granville Historical Society has “after careful consideration” given their blessing to the demolition of the theater and the construction of its replacement, their focus was first and foremost on the historical significance of the building. In order to appease them, Denison administration has promised to both try to reuse material from the original building and “look into” dedications for Morgan. However, the author holds the opinion that when considered from a holistic perspective, including not just historical significance, but also its stylistic effects upon the area, the building should be preserved. The Theater has an architecture style that uniquely contrasts the rest of the nearby Denison buildings. This contrast helps to create a modern, but intelligent atmosphere in the adjacent green space where everything from concerts to graduation ceremonies are held. All of this will be lost with the demolition of the building.

Currently, the Ace Morgan Theater is being demolished as part of a larger project to create a new Arts Center and the building’s requisite access and parking needs. Instead of demolishing the theater, the $30 million allocated to the project could be used instead to renovate the existing buildings. If further funds are required, they could be raised through the Granville Historical Society, though such a situation seems unlikely.

As for its use, the building has been in use by the Dension Theater Department for years, as it should be. If they have outgrown it however, it could be reused as an administrative building, given to another department (perhaps it could be used to host their new Data Analytics major), or simply sold to a private entity. Though the latter is a touch extreme, it would be preferable to demolishing the building, its history, and the carefully cultivated atmosphere of the entire block.