Burdick Hall at Towson University: A History of Facilities and Adaptation to Student Needs
Burdick Hall at Towson University stands as a testament to the evolving needs of a growing student body and the changing landscape of higher education. Located at the corner of Towsontown Boulevard and Union Avenue, Burdick Hall was dedicated on November 2, 1968, in honor of Dr. William H. Burdick. Originally designed as a Health and Physical Education building, it has undergone significant transformations over the years to meet the demands of a dynamic university environment. This article explores the history, facilities, and adaptations of Burdick Hall, highlighting its role in shaping the Towson University experience.
Historical Context and Initial Purpose
Towson University’s growth has been remarkable. Towson University’s University Union was built to accommodate the school’s population in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Towson has grown to more than 22,000 students and is considered one of two designated growth universities by the University System of Maryland. Salisbury University is the other designated growth university, according to David Mayhew, director of Towson University’s architecture.
When Burdick Hall was constructed in 1973, the student population was significantly smaller than it is today. The building initially housed the College of Health Professions, the Health Sciences Department, the Nursing Department, the Department of Dance, and the Recreational Sports Department. It also served as a versatile gathering venue for campus events, including concerts and rallies. This multipurpose design reflected the university's commitment to providing a comprehensive educational and recreational environment for its students.
Expansion and Renovation: Adapting to Growth
As Towson University expanded, so did the need for updated and expanded facilities. Burdick Hall received a 94,000-square foot expansion, according to Lewis Contractors. This expansion was driven by several factors, including increasing access, campus growth, and aging facilities. The National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association sets facility standards which Towson used to justify how big areas had to be for the Burdick Hall expansion, said Grady Sheffield, Towson’s director of campus recreation.
The weight room at Burdick Hall prior to its recent expansion had 6,000 square feet for fitness space while the NIRSA standard is 1,000 square feet per thousand students, Sheffield said. “We were nowhere near where we needed to be so one of the things that we wanted to do was make sure we had enough fitness space meeting the standard at the time this is back in 2014-2015 whenever we were in the design phase the university was putting out that they expected the university grow to about 23-25,000, and so we were looking to have in this facility 25,000 square feet of fitness floor space,” Sheffield said. “Well we came close. We now have 22,000 square feet of fitness floor space.”
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The south end of the building underwent major expansion and renovation in 2018 to become Campus Recreation Services. These renovations reflect a broader trend in universities to prioritize student recreation and well-being.
Burdick Hall and the University Union: A Comparative Perspective
To fully understand the significance of Burdick Hall’s evolution, it is helpful to compare it with the University Union. Towson’s union was constructed in 1972, when the building was known as the College Union, and is receiving an 85,000-square-foot expansion, according to The Towerlight. Our analysis of Towson shows that as the population increased, so did the square footage after renovations to Burdick Hall and the University Union. The University Union was built when Towson University had about 10,000 students, and the school has doubled its population. The same situation happened with Burdick Hall as that facility also outgrew its initial population, Mayhew said.
The University Union, like Burdick Hall, has been adapted to meet the changing needs of students. Towson will be adding more eating options and social areas to its University Union, such as a ballroom and theatre. Students eat and study differently now compared to previous generations, Mayhew said. The union at the college campus can combine social life with academics. “They get together in groups,” Mayhew said. “They do group projects.
Student unions were an adaptation at universities that came alongside gyms to cater to the growing needs of college students as student populations grew and commuters became more common. The union became a more desirable place on college campuses because of its versatility as a center for student life.
Gyms and unions have for a long time shared the same status together as big-ticket items for incoming students sometimes being the deciding factor between competitive academic institutions. It was not always this way.
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The Broader Context of University Facilities
The evolution of Burdick Hall and the University Union at Towson University mirrors broader trends in higher education. Universities across the country are investing heavily in both recreational and social facilities to attract and retain students. The University of Maryland System schools spend big on unions and student centers. About $93 million have been poured into unions for USM universities. Four out of five USM universities spent more than $70 million on their unions and student centers. The amount of money spent by universities on unions and gyms is marginally different. Schools are investing almost $3.5 million more on average into unions over gyms. Our data collection shows that universities are spending a mean of just under $31 million on unions compared to about $27.5 million on gyms
Since 2008, three of the gyms were newly built and Towson University’s Burdick Hall was the only renovation. Universities might be spending more money on unions, but there are more recent renovations of gyms. Gyms are older than unions when it comes to the time between major renovations. The mean age of gyms according to the research conducted for this story when they are renovated is 43 years old while unions are around 41.
Since 2008 there have been eight renovations on gyms and three completely new gyms built. In that same time, there were only five union renovations and no new union buildings constructed.
Planning for the Future
Towson University, like many institutions, engages in long-term planning to anticipate future needs. Colleges prepare years in advance for increases in enrollment going so far as to plan how many student they will enroll a decade in advance and when they will stop increasing their enrollment.
The top three reasons for starting a building project are increasing access, campus growth and aging facilities, The top three reasons to get construction projects approved are facility needs, student initiatives and administrative initiatives, according to NIRSA. As the population on the campus increases so does the required square-footage for gyms. “I think many universities experienced a lot of growth and expansion in the 60s and 70s due to the baby boomer generation reaching college age, and more students going to college,” Mayhew said, “Due to this expansion many new university unions were built during this time.”
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President Hoke L. Caret created a “Clean, Safe, Pretty, Happy” campaign during his time on campus. TU needed to be functional, thoughtful about future needs, but also visually attractive. He transitioned the “front” of campus from the area in front of Stephens to the new “campus gateway” by Burdick Hall, and began planning in earnest much of how students would learn and live at TU for the next 20 years.
Other Campus Developments
Other developments on the Towson University campus reflect a commitment to academic and residential life. Significantly, about half of the new buildings constructed on campus were designed to be residents for students. Throughout the 1970s, President Fisher had shied away from the idea of constructing more residence halls. The Glen Complex came online in 1983, adding 500 spaces to our previous resident hall capacity of 1,170. It also provided another space for resident students to eat besides the dining hall at Newell. By the end of the 1980s, with the addition of 400 spaces at Towson Run Apartments, Towson State University (TSU) had almost doubled the number of beds available for resident students. The construction of the Glen Complex also brought the first parking garage on campus, Glen Garage. Meanwhile, support buildings were also being put into place. TSC began leasing the building at 7800 York Road in 1989 for additional classroom space, and would buy the building outright in 1997. The South Campus Pavilion was added to Auburn House in 2000, providing another gathering space for university functions. Schuerholz Park was constructed in 2001, creating press boxes, concession stands, and restroom facilities for baseball games. The first large plan outside of the Olmstead Brothers recommendations, came in 1997 under President Hoke L. You can see the need for more dormitory space taking shape, as well as making space for more classroom buildings. Even the renovations of Burdick Hall and the Union are in place.
The Liberal Arts Building opened in two phases between 2009 and 2011. It was the first instruction building constructed on campus in over 3o years, and the difference between it and all the other buildings on campus was stark. Added to that, it was the first building on campus to be designated as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. The COVID-19 pandemic hit as work was underway for the new Science Complex, just south of Stephens Hall. The picture at the top of the page is of the groundbreaking held for it in 2019. While classes were being held virtually, construction continued apace.
In the summer of 2021, the last building that had stood on campus since before the school purchased the land was razed to make way for a new College of Health Professions. Glen Esk was constructed as a family summer home in 1904, and had served as a home to campus leaders from 1915 until 1970. After that it served as the Counseling Center until 2014. The new College of Health Professions will expand the number of trained professionals needed within the state.
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