The campus is mostly in
Goffstown, New Hampshire, with some of the athletic fields in the adjoining town of
Bedford. The mailing address for students and faculty is
Manchester, New Hampshire. There are 60 buildings on campus, which spans over . Nearing completion in February 1892, all that remained was for workers to continue to plaster the interior walls. A fire, which was most likely caused by an open heating stove's grate, sparked an ember and destroyed the entire structure. No one was seriously hurt because of the fire. The monks were forced to rebuild the college, spending considerably less money on the construction, as they had received only $55,000 from the
Insurance Commissioner of the
State of New Hampshire. In an effort to save money, bricks were salvaged from the previous structure and pieces of granite were cut from large granite rocks still visible on the current quad. In 1893, the building that is the center of campus was completed; the fire delayed the first academic semester by one year. On October 11, 1893, the college was officially rededicated. To avoid the possibility of another fire, a power house was constructed separately from the building. Farmland complete with livestock, beanpoles and tomato plants lined the present-day quad and adjacent fields. In 1912, the bell tower and ivy were added to the building; in 1923, the college's second chapel (the first being located on the second floor at the present-day business office) was constructed as a connecting wing. Today this second chapel is the college's Chapel Arts Center, which hosts art exhibits and other cultural events. It still boasts ornate stained glass windows and painted ceilings. Today, Alumni Hall houses faculty offices, administrative offices, the Chapel Arts Center, a women's residence hall named "Streets", and several smart classrooms. Beneath the Chapel Arts Center are a photography lab, darkroom, and several faculty and student publication offices. Beneath "Streets" and the bell tower are the offices of the Dean of Students, the Registrar's Office, the Office Diversity and Inclusion and several classrooms. Until 1919, the college consisted solely of Alumni Hall. Before this expansion, the monks lived on the second floor and students lived on the third and fourth floors. The first floor and basement had classrooms, a library and cafeteria.
Saint Anselm Abbey Church and monastery The
Abbey Church is the
liturgical center of the college and is frequently cited as the "heart of campus." The upper church allows the college community to join with the monastic community for the daily celebration of the
Eucharist and the
Liturgy of the Hours. The lower church permits smaller groups to assemble for worship and houses the Lady Chapel, the Saint Basil Byzantine Chapel, several other side altars, and several meeting rooms. The Lower Church is the location of the weekly 9 p.m. Wednesday night Mass. The monastery, built in 1955, has a kitchen staff and the monks join in all other tasks such as cleaning and upkeep. Male students frequently dine in the monastery as guests, experiencing the monastic practice of silence while eating, which allows for greater contemplation. The monastery has a
refectory, a smaller guest refectory, a chapel, two welcoming rooms near the main entrance and elevator access to all four floors. The Abbey also serves as the mother house for the
Woodside Priory School and the
abbot serves as the spiritual father for the monks who serve there. Saint Anselm Abbey is a member of the
American-Cassinese Congregation of the
Benedictine Confederation. Saint Anselm Abbey was founded from
Saint Mary's Abbey in
Newark, New Jersey. The abbey and church were both designed by Manchester architects
Koehler & Isaak, the former in the conservative
Colonial Revival style and the latter in an ambitious
modernist style. The architects intended the church's exposed masonry and beams to evoke the architecture of the early Catholic church.
Geisel Library The college performed a self-study in 1950 that revealed the need for a larger library. Joseph Geisel, a prominent Manchester businessman, contributed $500,000 in stock, and in 1959 the college broke ground on Geisel Library; the library opened its doors in the fall of 1960. Like the abbey, the library was designed by
Koehler & Isaak. The library featured reading rooms, study areas, a reference center, a music room, seating for 385 students, and space for 100,000 volumes. This original section is the core of the present building. Two expansions, one in 1973 and the final in 1992, each increased the library's area by . Geisel Library's book collection began with a sack of books brought by Fr. Hugo Paff from
Saint Mary's Abbey in
Newark, New Jersey; these books are still in the library and date back to the mid-19th century. During the early years of the college, Benedictines served as librarians on an ad hoc basis, but by 1929, Saint Anselm had its first official librarian, Fr. Cuthbert Redmond. New books were purchased under Fr. Edwin Davitt. By 1937, Saint Anselm could boast 8,000 books in several mini-libraries, as well as the main repository, by this time located on the second floor. and is also the headquarters for the student theater group, the Anselmian Abbey Players. The Anselmian Abbey Players have been a center of theater, culture and music on campus for over 75 years. This tradition began in the fall of 1949 with a production of "Career Angel". Since then, this student-run organization has enjoyed a long record of excellence. The Abbey Players offer students the opportunity to develop their artistic talents both on and off the stage, stressing the importance of self-esteem, teamwork, and leadership. The Dana Center hosts many touring companies throughout the year. These performances include classical theater, contemporary dance, concerts, and films. These performances attract visitors from throughout the region. On stage, international and domestic performers stage both traditional and modern programs ranging from contemporary Indian dance to
Piedmont blues to Russian classical music. The United States Presidential debates have been held either in the Dana Center or in the Sullivan Arena since 2000. The majority of freshman males live in Dominic Hall, while most freshman females reside in either Joan of Arc Hall (commonly referred to as JOA) or Baroody Hall. Joseph Hall is named after the third Abbot of
Saint Anselm Abbey and former Bishop of Portland, Maine, Bishop
Joseph John Gerry. In the summer of 2025, Joseph Hall is undergoing another renovation to become a student residence hall. Constructed in 1919, Joseph Hall served as the first monastery outside of Alumni Hall between 1919 and 1955. In 1955, when the
abbey was built, the Sisters of Saint Joan of Arc, from Quebec, Canada, moved in from Bradley House (across campus), and the building was renamed the "Saint Joan of Arc Convent." Connecting to the addition are three indoor basketball/tennis courts equipped with scoreboards and a sound system. The basement of Carr Center has the varsity gym, football locker room, general locker rooms and administrative offices for the athletic department. In 2012, the college spent $1.3 million by installing a synthetic turf field at Grappone Stadium, and added lights for nighttime practice and games.
Quad and dormitory Construction began on the newest dormitory in the summer of 2013. The project cost over $9.5 million and is situated near the lower entrance of campus behind Brady Hall. The residence hall, known as the "Living Learning Commons" (LLC), is able to hold 150 students, and has expanded the residential options for undergraduates. The residence hall's common spaces are air-conditioned, while the individual rooms are not. LLC also features student-friendly amenities such as a recycling room, bike storage, general storage space for students, and an elevator. Additionally, over is dedicated to common space, including modern kitchenettes, classroom space, and individual study areas on each floor. In 2012, a new parking lot was constructed on college-owned land between Sullivan Arena and privately owned Clarke Farm, located in Bedford. The former Joan of Arc parking lot was renovated, and the space is occupied by a grassy quadrangle. A grotto was also built between JOA and Gadbois Hall and was dedicated in late 2014, with the placement of a statue of the Virgin Mary. The quadrangle, referred to as the "JOA Quad" or the "Campus Green", has lights and walkways and is lined with trees; the centerpiece is a brick patio with a large, granite seal of the college. == Academics ==