A 1924 Italianate structure by architect Benno Janssen, it originally served as a Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association, but now houses rehearsal spaces, classrooms, offices, and a Digital Recording Studio for the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music, as well as a university gymnasium, fitness center, indoor swimming pool, and a 676-seat auditorium.

Bellefield Hall, constructed in 1924, was designed by architect Benno Janssen by combining the facades of the Italianate Palzzo Piccolomini delle Papesse in Siena with the 18th-century Lee House at Stratford in Virginia for the Flemish-bond brick finish and the high basement.

It also featured full sports facilities, meeting rooms, and a historic concert hall featuring Spanish stalactite ceiling and Jacobean wall moldings in which a host of musicians (including Arthur Rubinstein, Isaac Stern, and Jean-Pierre Rampal) made their Pittsburgh debuts.

For the university's Department of Music, it houses rehearsal spaces, classrooms, graduate student offices, and the William R. Robinson Digital Recording Studio.

In addition, on April 3, 2008, Republican presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul was invited to speak at the University of Pittsburgh.