Tomorrow, the Friends of the Capitol Theater will break ground for the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. On Friday, ceremonies will be held at the Smyrna Opera House by the Smyrna-Clayton Heritage Association. The nearly century-old Capitol on South State Street inDover is being restored, and a new building will be added with a rehearsal hall and other space to complement the original theater. In Smyrma, the old Town Hall, built 130 years ago, will be restored for performances and community events. These long-planned projects, financed with government and private funds, follow in the success of Wilmington's Grand Opera House and the Everett Theater in Middletown, which proved how widely such facilities can be used and their positive effect on the surrounding downtown.
Problems arise, however, when no obvious use can be found for a long abandoned building.
An apparent solution to one such case was disclosed last week. The building might also be used for a Clean and Safe patrol force and as an information center. And the old Farmers Bank on the northwest corner of Third and Market streets might be converted into offices for the Delaware Bar Association. Both seem perfect solutions to save links to the past that some people were ready to tear down. Ships Tavern District Signs of friction are seen in renewal efforts in the adjacent Ships Tavern District, where the city has its roots and that comes under the scrutiny of both state and federal agencies charged with historic preservation.