Allenwood Center Offices

Allenwood Shopping Center opened in 1974 and sat on the southeast corner of the Salisbury State College (later Salisbury State University (SSU), now Salisbury University) campus. Home to numerous retail and restaurant vendors, the shopping center was a popular place for students and the local community. Some of its tenants included Nacho Pete's, Pappys, Fratelli's, Diamondhead, and Papa Johns. The strip mall was eventually acquired by the College in 1997 and continued to serve the public as a retail space. However, over time, SSU took over some of the space for offices and classrooms for the Psychology Department. In 1999, the building was renamed Allenwood Center Offices and continued to house the Psychology Department until its demolition in 2009 to make room for a new residence hall with ground-level retail space, Sea Gull Square.

Allenwood Shopping Center resided on the southeast corner of Salisbury State College and opened around 1974. For the next 24 years, the shopping center would see various retail shops and restaurants lease space, including Beanies Coffee House, Diamondhead, Kinko’s Copies, Four Star Pizza, Pappys, and Penny’s Hair Palace, among others.

President Thomas Bellavance wished to purchase Allenwood in the 1980s, but the idea was dismissed due to lack of funds. However, in 1997, the SSU Foundation bought the Shopping Center that sat on 2 acres of land and had 7 tenants, including popular restaurants such as Fratelli’s, Nacho Pete’s, and Papa John’s, for $2 million in anticipation of future campus expansion. For the next few years, the building housed existing businesses and several SSU offices. In 1999, the Allenwood Shopping Center was renamed the Allenwood Center Offices and some of the space was repurposed as temporary faculty offices for the Psychology Department and included a computer lab, observation/video rooms, a Psychological/Learning Lab, and a classroom.

In 2003, the Salisbury University Facilities Unit suggested that the Allenwood Center Offices be the site for the new Perdue Business School, a new field house, or a new performing arts center. Although the Allenwood site had potential for these projects, it remained the home of the Psychology Department until 2009 when it was demolished to make room for a new residence hall with ground-level retail space, Sea Gull Square.

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

Salisbury University. A Timeline of SU Buildings & Presidents, Salisbury University. Accessed March 16th 2021. https://www.salisbury.edu/discover-su/campus-history/whos-who.aspx.

"SSU Seeks Donations for Building." The Flyer (Salisbury) April 6th, 1999.

Salisbury University. Course Catalog, 2003-2005. Salisbury, Maryland. Salisbury University, 2003.