Coffman Memorial Union sits at the south end of the mall, opposite Northrop across Washington Avenue.

The Greater University Corporation finally submitted a request to have the plans drawn up in the fall of 1926, with a cost not to exceed $1 million.

Frederick Mann, chair of the university's School of Architecture, submitted a building concept that featured a classical portico with pediment.

However, the amount of ornamentation and sculptural carving required for the design would have exceeded cost limits and appeared incongruous with the more understated buildings on the sides of the mall.

Project architect Clarence H. Johnston Sr. thus toned down Mann's design by making the pediment flat and by turning the roof behind it into a gable.

[2]: 146–150  The inscription reads: "The University of Minnesota: Founded in the Faith that Men are Ennobled by Understanding; Dedicated to the Advancement of Learning and the Search for Truth; Devoted to the Instruction of Youth and the Welfare of the State."

The auditorium was purportedly designed in 1929 to seat the entire student population in the event of mass assembly.

The size of Northrop's stage makes it one of the only facilities in the region capable of accommodating major dance productions.

With a design team led by architects Tim Carl and Jim Moore of HGA, the renovation project aimed to retain the building's historic character while making it a state-of-the-art performance space.

[8] Offices for the University Honors Program and Institute for Advanced Study, a backstage rehearsal studio, and a main floor cafe were also included in the new design.

During the grand reopening celebration, university provost Karen Hanson delivered a speech addressing the history of Northrop and her vision for the future.

[10] Around 7:30 PM on January 11, 2023, police and firefighters responded to reports of a loud noise heard at the building and found that the east side of the roof had partially collapsed.