People driving by USM on Fort Hill Road (Rt. 114) are used to seeing the two eight story residential towers on the edge of the campus. Built in 1970, they have been vacant since the spring of 2014 with only 40 students living there before they were closed. Having the towers empty enabled USM to save money on maintenance and operating costs while they reached a decision as to the future of the towers.

The cost to renovate the towers has been estimated at about $10,000,000. The buildings are considered outdated with no air conditioning and some asbestos. The towers were never popular with students and were often underutilized. The cost to tear them down is estimated to be $3.25 million. USM considered other options for the towers but ultimately concluded that razing the buildings made the most sense. No date has been set for the demolition.

When the dorms were fully functional, they could house 368 students. There are an additional 1100 residential units on the Gorham campus, plenty to accommodate students. With the increasing cost of rental apartments in the Greater Portland area, USM is considering new student dorms for their Portland campus.

The University of Southern Maine was formerly known as Gorham State College before it became part of the University of Maine system. The tower dorms were named for Edna Dickey, a history professor and Dean of Women, and Esther Wood who was a social science professor. Edna Dickey was the author of Fifty Years of Gorham 1936-1986, a history of the town.