Ahead of you in Annapolis, Maryland, sprawls Bancroft Hall, home to the entire brigade of midshipmen. This vast building is said to be the largest contiguous set of academic dormitories in the U.S. It was named for former U.S. Secretary of the Navy and historian/author George Bancroft, and today it is home for the entire brigade of 4,000 midshipmen. The hall contains some 1,700 rooms, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) of corridors, and 33 acres (13 ha) of floor space.
Midshipmen affectionately call it "Mother B" or "The Hall. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style by architect Ernest Flagg, you can see its mansard roof and dormer windows. The central rotunda and the first two wings were built in 1901–06; over the years expansions produced eight wings of five stories — "decks" — each numbered 0–4.
The original two wings from 1906 are now the 3rd and 4th; a pair added in 1917 are the 1st and 2nd; a 1939 pair became the 5th and 6th; and a final pair added in 1961 are the 7th and 8th. The 3rd wing was built over the remains of the old Fort Severn. Notice the mansard roof and dormer windows crowning the corridors that stretch on for 4.8 miles.