Salisbury University By Gone Buildings Walking Tour

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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.

2. Caruthers Hall

Caruthers Hall is primarily remembered as home to the campus elementary school at Maryland State Teachers College from 1955-1969. The school and building was named after Dr. Thomas Caruthers. Caruthers was the original math teacher at the college, as well as the first principal of the elementary school. Once the Campus Elementary School closed in 1969, Caruthers Hall served a variety of uses in its later years, including housing Salisbury University’s education school, as well as the local affiliate of National Public Radio, WSCL. It was demolished in 2013 to make way for the construction of the Guerrieri Academic Commons.

3. Powell Dining Hall

In 1966, the Salisbury State College campus dedicated a new building to provide dining and recreational space for 1000 students. The Memorial Student Union (MSU) housed the College post office, bookstore, snack bar and several offices as well as two dining halls. The Maryland Room served food cafeteria style, while the Salisbury Room required “proper attire” and had its own buffet service with candlelight, linens, and dinner music. Later, the building was renamed the Ruth Powell Dining Hall after “Miss Ruth,” the College’s first dietitian and “house mother.” The Crossroads Pub took over the space when dining services moved to the new Commons building in 1997. While the pub was well used by students, the building was demolished three years later, in 2000, to make room for the new Henson Science building.

4. Potomac Hall

Built in 1977 as a temporary accommodation, Potomac Hall, also known as the College Center, was located in the middle of the Salisbury State College (later Salisbury State University (SSU); now Salisbury University) campus. During its tenure, Potomac Hall had classrooms, offices, Gull's Nest, the Book Rack, Modern Languages laboratory, the Art Department, and various art studios. Despite its primitive design and constant campus complaints about the quality of the building's features, Potomac Hall served the SSU community until 2000 when the building was demolished to make way for Henson Hall.

5. Musical Arts Center

The Musical Arts Center was constructed on the site of the Shoreman Restaurant located off Route 13 in 1965. With plans to house the college’s Music Department and provide an adequate space for musical practice and performances, the Musical Arts Center contained a piano laboratory, classrooms, practice rooms, and offices. The college’s choirs, chorus, and instrumental ensembles used the building as their practice and performance area. After the construction of Fulton Hall, the Musical Arts Center was repurposed to house administrative offices. Other departments, such as Public Safety and the University Police, also shared the space until it was demolished in 2009 to clear space for Perdue Hall.

6. 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.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Salisbury University By Gone Buildings Walking Tour

Created by Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture on July 27th 2022, 2:20:51 pm.

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Salisbury University’s By-Gone Buildings Walking Tour is a tribute to the buildings that made their mark on campus but are no longer present at our ever-growing university. Alumni have fond memories of these by-gone campus buildings where they forged relationships and experienced college life, which can be remembered through photographs, yearbooks, and other items from the University Archives. Explore a part of campus not visible to current visitors—and “reverse the wrecking ball” on Salisbury University’s by-gone buildings.

Entries on This Tour

Salisbury University By Gone Buildings Walking Tour

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