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Plaza Mayor
Founded in 1900 as Florida’s first law school, Stetson University College of Law has educated outstanding lawyers, judges and other leaders for 110 years. Stetson is also Florida’s first private university, founded in 1883. In 1954, the College of Law relocated from Stetson’s main campus in DeLand to its current Gulfport campus, a former 1920s resort. Opened in January 1926 during the Florida boom period, the Rolyat Hotel (Taylor spelled backwards) was built by “Handsome Jack” Taylor. It was a re-creation of a Spanishwalled settlement of the feudal ages. The courtyard, or Plaza Mayor, featured a well and two large fountains, and was designed to be the meeting place for hotel guests. On opening night, the main fountain was filled with champagne. Antique, handmade, Mexican tiles line the two fountains and the well. Today, the Plaza Mayor is the stage for law school graduations. Two towers serve as focal points for the plaza. The plum-colored, circular Granary Tower was historically designed to be used in times of peace to store grain, and in war as a point of defense. The large octagonal tower is a reproduction of the Golden Tower of Seville. Around the plaza’s perimeter are former hotel guest rooms that now serve as dorm rooms, guest suites for visitors, and various offices. A wide variety of trees adorn the plaza, including royal palms, sago palms, bamboo, jacaranda and hibiscus. Among the many plants located in the plaza are birds of paradise, salvia, jasmine and plumbago. The main entrance to the plaza is a reproduction of the entrance to the Old Alcantara Bridge in Toledo, Spain. Stables and a golf course were once adjacent to the hotel. Guests played a wide range of sports from tennis and croquet to Tarpon fishing. With its life cut short by the Great Depression, the Rolyat was open for only a few seasons. From 1932 until 1951, the hotel housed the Florida Military Academy.
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Mann Lounge
Named to honor Walter H. Mann, the first chair of the College of Law Board of Overseers and a member of the University Board of Trustees, the lounge measures 48 by 85 feet and has a 16-foot ceiling. The fireplace in the lounge is a slightly modified reproduction of the painter El Greco’s favorite fireplace. The two Talaveras vases (named for the Spanish city of their origin) were part of a group of nine vases made especially for the 1895 Colombian exposition in Chicago. Another Talaveras vase is on display in the law library. These are the only vases of their kind in the world owned privately; the remaining six vases are in museums. The paintings on the walls are the work of Peruvian artist Victor Robian from the early 1900s. Much of the furniture in the lounge is from the Rolyat Hotel’s original collection. The lounge is now used for student meetings and law school receptions. Both the Great Hall and the Mann Lounge are available for a limited number of private functions. C
Great Hall
The Great Hall served as the dining room for both the Rolyat Hotel and the Florida Military Academy. Measuring 48 by 96 feet, the room boasts a large, imposing fireplace and arched alcoves. The great doorways from the lobby are inspired by the oaken monastery doors of the house of one of Spain’s most famous painters, El Greco. The outer walls of the dining room, lounge and lobby are two feet thick.
of Florida before giving up the game for a legal career. He served as a circuit judge and Florida Supreme Court justice and chief justice. After World War II, he was a judge for the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal. On display in the courtroom foyer is Dean Sebring’s memorabilia, including his membership to the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal and his Florida Bar license issued in 1928. The Second District Court of Appeal has held sessions in both the Sebring Courtroom and the Florin Roebig Courtroom. The Sebring Courtroom was renovated in 2003 to incorporate new technology, and it continues to be used as a classroom and training courtroom for Stetson students. H
H. Jackson Crummer Hall
Dedicated in 1969, Crummer Hall has five classrooms with a total seating capacity of 500, as well as several faculty offices. Stetson has upgraded these classrooms to take advantage of advances in information technology. I
Florin Roebig Courtroom
The Florin Roebig courtroom, which first opened in 1983 and was renovated and re-dedicated in 2006, provides audio/visual capabilities, tiered seating for students and spectators, a jury room and judges’ chambers. The courtroom greatly improved Stetson’s ability to train nationally competitive trial teams. The lobby adjacent to the courtroom features two trophy cases filled with Stetson’s numerous advocacy awards.
Flags representing every state and territory line the walls. Displayed over the fireplace are the five flags that have flown over Florida. The Flemish tapestry, believed to be woven in the latter part of the 17th century, was a gift to Stetson from Harvey S. Firestone Jr. The Great Hall now hosts a variety of events, including lectures, orientation and award ceremonies. The lobby outside the Great Hall is similar in size and form to the nave, or central portion, of a Spanish cathedral. The lobby presently serves as a gathering area for students and visitors. D
Charles A. Dana Building
Dedicated by Governor LeRoy Collins in 1958, the Charles A. Dana Library served as the law school’s main library for 40 years. An addition to the library was completed in 1973, providing over 29,000 square feet of space. The William R. Eleazer Courtroom, the nation’s first elder-friendly, high-tech courtroom, was dedicated in 2005 and resides in the Dana Building. A model for access to the elderly, the courtroom’s barrier-free design features technology and architectural elements to aid individuals with visual, auditory and other physical disabilities or limited mobility. The building also houses the Govoni-Staunton Suite of offices for the Center for Excellence in Elder Law. E
Sebring Commons
The large grid in the center of the entrance drive to the law school, commonly known as the “horseshoe,” was once a reflecting pool designed by Dean Harold L. “Tom” Sebring during the 1960s. The seven pedestals at the base of the fountain represent the seven justices of the Florida Supreme Court. The American flag is flown at one end of the fountain; at the other
end are flags that have flown over Florida during its history as a colony, territory and state. The flag of the Seminole Indian Nation, which Stetson uses with the consent of the Nation, is also included. F
Eleanor Naylor Dana Hall
This building was formally dedicated in 1969. The first floor of Dana Hall houses administrative offices, including the Dean’s Office. The first floor also has a faculty conference room. The walls on the first floor are adorned with the names of the Stetson Law Hall of Fame inductees and portraits of past deans. A portrait of Mrs. Dana hangs near the east staircase. On the stairs leading to the second floor, letters have been placed on various steps, hence the legend of the “grading stairwell.” The legend has persisted that some professors would throw student exams from the top of the stairwell and whichever step the exam landed upon dictated the grade the student was given. The largest steps contain the grades “D” and “F” — in reference to a former professor who was notorious for giving very low grades. The second floor houses faculty offices, a meeting room and the Faculty Support Services office. G
Sebring Courtroom
The Sebring Courtroom was constructed on the site of the original kitchen for the Rolyat Hotel. It is named for Justice Harold L. “Tom” Sebring, Stetson’s dean from 1955–1968. Dean Sebring had several notable careers, serving as the head football coach for the University
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Courtroom H and Mediation Room
Courtroom H was one of three wood-frame buildings used by the Florida Military Academy, and in 1954 became a temporary library reading room. It was later moved to its present site and re-configured as a practice courtroom. In 2009, the courtroom was upgraded with new audiovisual technology and a wheelchair ramp to support Stetson’s advocacy center programs. R
Student Center
The two-story Student Center provides an environment where students can relax. It is home to student organizations and the offices of student life and career development, as well as exercise facilities that include a lap pool, weight room and cardiovascular room. A student lounge features a pool table, big-screen television, snack machines and leather couches. The poolside patio is a popular location for receptions.
Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library W
As the academic heart of the Gulfport campus, the 59,100-square-foot Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library houses a collection of nearly 420,000 volumes, 35 study rooms, two seminar rooms wired for satellite reception, and an archive room. Dedicated in 1998 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the award-winning structure blends the elements of old Mediterranean-Revival architecture into a 21st-century building.