Chester Hall

Under the presidency of Dr. Norman Crawford, the early 1970s saw the construction of “high rise” style dormitories at Salisbury State College. Choptank Hall was the first of these dormitories and was completed in 1972. Construction of the second high rise residence hall, Chester Hall, began in May of the same year. The building was originally intended to open in the fall of 1973, but delays in the construction pushed the opening to, first, the spring of 1974, and eventually the fall of that year. While construction continued, students who were guaranteed housing in Chester Hall were placed with families living in the surrounding neighborhoods as well as at the local hospital. Incoming students also had the option to take classes at Frostburg State University and transfer to Salisbury State College at no loss of credit.

With a total of six stories and housing 220 students, Chester Hall was one of the largest residence halls on campus at the time, the other being Choptank Hall. It too departed from the Georgian architectural style of the other residence halls. Each residential floor housed bedrooms sleeping forty students, a lounge, and bathrooms. The building also featured a main lounge on the first floor, an elevator, and air conditioning.

Chester Hall was also the second of the school’s coeducational dorms. Each of the floors was broken into clusters. Each cluster consisted of five bedrooms, housing ten students of a single gender. Two clusters were designated for junior and senior men, with the other two for junior and senior women. Each cluster had its own bathroom. 

Like all of the dormitories at Salisbury State College, Chester Hall was named after a waterway on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Chester River. This was voted upon by the student body in a poll in the school’s newspaper, the S.S.C Informer. The building was repainted in 1984, a key renovation year for dormitories at Salisbury State College. Its second renovation occured in 2012. 

Chester Hall continues to operate as a residence hall of Salisbury University. It is coeducational, and houses 220 freshmen. Rooms are still in a cluster style, with roommates sharing a bathroom with other students in their ten person cluster. Double and triple rooms are available. It also has a lounge, kitchen, classroom, and laundry facilities.

“Better Living Through Change.” The SSC Informer May 1972.

Bradley, Sylvia. Salisbury: From Normal School to University, 1925 - 2001. Salisbury, Maryland. Salisbury University Press, 2002.

English, David. “Construction at a Glance.” The Flyer March 12th 1974.

“Jack the Ripper.” The SSC Informer February 1973.

“Mr. Lovely Projects Lovely Ideas in Housing Organization.” The SSC Informer September 1973.

Salisbury University. Chester Hall. Salisbury University. Accessed July 15th 2020. https://www.salisbury.edu/administration/student-affairs/housing-and-residence-life/residence-halls/chester.aspx.

“Triples.” The Flyer September 27th 1974.