Cultural Center De Kroon
The new accommodation on Rembrandtlaan, where the Baarn branch of the Eemland Library was also located, was given the green light by the then city council more than a year ago. Some ten million euros were made available. A few months later, the municipal elections yielded gains for the parties VoorBaarn and GroenLinks. Both had argued for a new culture house in the center of Baarn. In the coalition agreement with PvdA and D66, they agreed that despite the still fresh council decision, they still wanted to investigate what the actual costs would be. If it turned out to be more expensive, the option of a theater in the heart of Baarn would come into play again.
The renewed discussion was not the first delay in plans to merge the theater and library. The institutions already visited each other in 2016. The Volksuniversiteit Baarn also participated at the time. But a decision to adjust De Speeldoos for several million dollars failed, because VoorBaarn managed to get a majority of the city council to investigate the possibilities of demolition and new construction opposite the town hall. In the end, too few councilors saw the point in it.
A more extensive plan was then put on the table for the location on Rembrandtlaan. De Speeldoos will be demolished, except for the large theater hall. The building that will replace it will be named De Kroon. The Volkuniversiteit Baarn is no longer a party. It finally closed its doors last September due to a lack of students and volunteers.