Originally built in 1921–22 by H. L. Stevens & Company as the Ruskin Apartments, an annex facing Bellefield Avenue was added in 1925–26.

[3] The building has long seen usage by Pitt students, including use as the meeting place of the Omega Delta fraternity until the fall of 1926.

Following the purchase, Pitt Chancellor Edward Litchfield held a tea for the 189 remaining tenants, many of whom were elderly, well-to-do widows, to ensure them that their leases and the staff and management would be maintained as long as they wished to stay.

In 1966, Richard King Mellon donated $1,075,475 ($10.1 million in 2023 dollars[5]) to the university to refinance and retain possession of the Ruskin Apartments so they could be used for members of the house staffs of the university-affiliated hospitals and their families.

The furnished apartments include private baths and kitchens and have cable and internet connection.