Presbyterian College is transferring ownership of the historic Capitol Theatre to the City of Laurens and moving its esports program back to campus.

PC announced the purchase of the Capitol Theatre in Oct. 2021 as a venue for esports and a restaurant, movie theater, and performing arts center for students and the community. However, logistical concerns raised by students regarding travel times and fuel costs led the college to reconsider the project’s future.

“As we heard from our esports team members, it became clear there were concerns about the esports arena being away from campus,” said PC president Dr. Anita Gustafson. “As a result of those conversations, we believe it is in the best interest of the students to move the esports arena to campus. We value the relationship with the City of Laurens and believe deeding the property over to the city will be more advantageous to the overall community in the long run.”

Gustafson said PC will continue to collaborate with the City of Laurens on programming at the theatre that will bring students to the Public Square.

“PC is proud to be an active participant in the Laurens County community, and we pledge our support for ways in which we can collaborate with our city and county partners,” she said.

Laurens Mayor Nathan Senn said the city is eager to continue building a strong relationship between his community and PC.

“We are enormously grateful for the amount of work and the renovations Presbyterian College has done to preserve and restore this amazing and historic building on the Square,” he said. “We will continue to work with PC to bring our two communities closer and give its students a place they can enjoy off campus.”