University should buy Von Lee

The Von Lee Theater has lain dormant for close to two years now, but an initiative by local community action group Bloomingvision might be able to breathe life into the historic building once again.\nBloomington resident Chris Sturbaum and members of Bloomingvision are scheduled to meet Chancellor Sharon Brehm Tuesday to discuss the possibility of the University purchasing the Von Lee Theater from Kerasotes. We applaud any interest the University has in the theater and urge it to pursue the purchase of the property.\nThe use of the theater's remains has been in dispute since its closing May 25, 2000, when the "big dig," a project to improve the downtown storm sewer system, made the area almost impossible to navigate.\nSturbaum said Bloomingvision originally petitioned the University to purchase the property when it closed in 2000, but nothing came of it.\nThe group is now lobbying Chancellor Brehm and the IU Foundation to try to obtain their involvement with the property.\nOptions ranging from art cinema to classroom use are being offered up by Bloomingvision to Chancellor Brehm. Both students and the University would benefit from its purchase of the Von Lee property. If the University does not involve itself in the fate of the Von Lee, the property could be sold and we could lose this valuable opportunity to create an arts cinema or educational forum for students and the community.\nIU owns several large film collections, including the Peter Bogdanovich collection and John Ford\'s personal collection of his films. Where once several theaters could be found in the downtown area, now there are none. The University\'s involvement could bring thought-provoking films to its students and the community at large. \nThe current status of the theater is unacceptable. In its early incarnations, the Von Lee Theater often worked hand in hand with the University, showing movies that correlated with classroom subjects and materials.\n"There's a long history of coordination with the University and the Von Lee that predates Kerasotes involvement," Sturbaum said.\nBecause the building has been around since 1920, the history and architecture of the building has placed it is on the city's list of designated historic districts. Rather than let this local treasure go to waste, the University is in a unique position to involve itself and revive a great tradition between itself and the theater. The Von Lee Theater could provide an intersection of the University's academic goals and the community's need for an art cinema which would be beneficial to both students and community members.