Designed by Joseph Herenden Clark of McKim, Mead & White and built in 1913, the structure originally housed a variety of different student organizations and school functions.

The changes, undertaken by LTL Architects, totaled $8–9 million and concluded with an open plan renovation, the refurbishment of some of the center's original features, and an increase in buildingwide capacity to over 1,000 occupants.

[12] The plans were drawn up by young architect Joseph Herenden Clark, a recent graduate of the Columbia School of Architecture who, upon hearing the requirement that the structure be made from brick with white trim and a slate roof, recalled Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia.

[2][13] He trekked to Alexandria to study the interior and exterior of the church and ultimately the designs for the Students' Building, his first public plan, were inspired by its architecture and features.

[5] The Old Council Room was repainted in 1945 as part of a minor renovation of the building that also included the opening of a student eatery called The Hoot on the west side.

The second story—called UpC—is now an open space capable of seating 600 people when chairs are added; it also features multimedia equipment and a third-floor mezzanine that, until 2015, housed the UpC Cafe.

Formerly housed in the Calisthenium and Riding Academy and later the Alumnae Gymnasium, the Philaletheis Society moved into the Students' Building upon its opening and began to use the space for its theatrical performances.

[21][14] An annual Christmas party, complete with students clad as reindeer pulling a sled on which sat political science professor Charles Gordon Post dressed as Santa Claus, once occurred within the building as well.