Fred Stone Laboratory

Unlike the current Fred Stone Theater, the Fred Stone Laboratory consisted of two sections: the first one was the main theater building, which was known as the McQueen House before its purchase in 1934, and served as dormitory for the Chi Omega sorority for five years; the second part of the theater, completed in 1939, contained the studio which constructed all the sets for the different plays performed on campus. While the studio was constructed, the main building was fitted with a stage and converted into a laboratory theater. The dimensions of the stage appropriately matched those of the Annie Russell Theatre. This ensured that when the rehearsing was held in the laboratory, it would be similar to the main stage in Annie Russell. The Fred Stone Laboratory was a wooden house with exterior shingles and a porch adorned in the front. The structural appearance gave no hint that it was a theater, but the interior of the building contained a large stage and vaulted ceilings, which allowed voices to be better projected. In addition to the one-story theater space, the rest of building contained offices as well as classrooms in two stories.

The McQueen House, home to Chi Omega, before the addition of the studio and the renaming to Fred Stone

The Fred Stone's main stage

The Set Shop where all sets for both Annie Russell and Fred Stone were constructed

Built mainly with money raised through a play performed on campus called “Lightning,” the Fred Stone Laboratory got its name because Fred Stone (’29H) starred and directed in that play. Eventually, laboratory was dropped from the name and it simply became known as The Fred Stone Theater. After 34 years of use, the Fred Stone proceeded to be torn down in 1973. Students with fond memories of the theater voiced their objections to the scheduled demolition, despite the fact that the building was deemed a fire hazard due to its interior faulty wiring system. However, when the College’s insurance policy was in jeopardy, the administration had no choice but to tear down the old wood structure building on March 1, 1973. To appease the campus community, the Bingham Hall, which was the former Winter Park Baptist Church purchased by Rollins in 1961, was renamed the Fred Stone Theater two months later.

Before and After of the demolition of the main stage