With a height of 363 feet (111 m), it is the fourth-tallest educational-purposed building in the United States, behind the Cathedral of Learning, Vertical Campus at Roosevelt University in Chicago, and 25 Park Place in Atlanta which is now owned by Georgia State University.

[1] The tower was named after former Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes who is responsible for signing the legislation that created Cleveland State University on December 18, 1964.

The Brutalist structure was designed by the Cleveland architectural firm of Rode, Guenther, and Bonebrake.

The University Tower was and remains CSU's main focal point and it opens the Downtown Cleveland skyline to the east.

[6] In 2002, CSU placed signs on the top of the tower [7] In December 2011, CSU officials announced plans to mothball portions of the building due to the prohibitive cost of renovation, including asbestos abatement.