Waller Halls

It's like a big maze!

Waller North/South is a single-sex living environment (female only). The capacity of this building is 40 beds with a support staff of two RA’s. Singles, doubles, and triples are offered as housing options.

While physically one building, the Wallers are divided in half to create two smaller communities. They are connected by a hallway so students can visit without having to go outside.

Rooms on the South side's second floor are tied by bathrooms and closets so, in theory, you could circle the floor without stepping into a hallway.

Both homes have ample first-floor lounges and some dorm rooms have direct access to bathroom facilities -- no walking (running?) down the hall to get ready for class!

If you were at Wilkes before 1964...

that large stately West River Street building was not yet part of the Wilkes campus. Wilkes acquired it in parts -- 36 was purchased first, from Michael McLaughlin. The new residence hall was named in honor of Charles Waller, a Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Wilkes College. At that point, the structure at 40 West River was still the home of Mrs. Charles Waller.

Wilkes purchased the other half of the building in October 1983. Waller Hall was then separated into North (36 West River) and South (40 West River).

Originally, the property was the home...
of Julius Long Stern, a businessman associated with the Long firm and a member of the College Board of Trustees.

Around 1925, Stern had the home at at 36 West River built for himself, and the one at 40 West River built for his father, Harry F. Stern. The homes, connected by a doorway, were designed by Innes and Levy, a Wilkes-Barre architectural firm.

The stone used to build the intricately detailed Tudor Revival style homes was salvaged from the razing of a mid-nineteenth century home that stood on the site prior to construction.