Tawes Gym

Tawes Gymnasium was Salisbury University’s primary gym from 1961 to 1977. The gym featured a 972-seat basketball stadium with electronic scoreboards, classrooms, a lobby, locker and shower areas, a physical therapy center, weight room, and boxing and fencing room. The gym was officially dedicated on January 16, 1962, and renamed Tawes Gym after Maryland Governor J. Millard Tawes in 1966. With the construction of Maggs Physical Activities Center, Tawes Gym became the home of the school's intramural teams and various student organizations. In 1989, Tawes Gym was demolished to make room for Fulton Hall.  

Tawes Gymnasium was Salisbury University’s primary gym from 1961 to 1977. Maryland State Teachers College (now Salisbury University) began construction of the $384,000 stand-alone gym in early 1960. It opened in time for the Fall 1961 semester. The gym featured a 972-seat basketball stadium with electronic scoreboards, classrooms, a lobby, locker and shower areas, a physical therapy center, weight room, and boxing and fencing room. The building also had provisions for volleyball and badminton. The gym was officially dedicated on January 16, 1962, and renamed Tawes Gym after Maryland Governor J. Millard Tawes in 1966.

In 1977, the construction of an additional gymnasium, Maggs Physical Activities Center, changed the purpose of Tawes Gym. It was now primarily dedicated to the school’s intramural teams, as well as student organizations such as the WSSC student radio station, Black Student Union, The Flyer newspaper, Scarab literary magazine, and Evergreen yearbook, among others.

When Salisbury State University planned to open a center for the institution’s liberal arts school, discussions of renovating Tawes into an art building began; however, this plan was abandoned in favor of a new building. In 1989, Tawes Gym was demolished to make room for Fulton Hall. 

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.

"To Be Dedicated: Student Union Building." The Holly Leaf (Salisbury) November 23rd, 1966.

"Student Union Building Dedication." The Holly Leaf December 15th, 1966.

"The Flyer Newsmagazine." The Flyer (Salisbury) September 21st, 1988.