[2] The hall was designed by Bulfinch, class of 1781, and built between 1813 and 1815 of white Chelmsford granite, probably using rock cut to size at the Charlestown Prison.

A massive portico with stone pillars was added to the western facade soon after completion, but removed in 1842.

In 1924 Daniel Chester French's bronze statue of John Harvard was moved to the western façade from its original location near Memorial Hall.

In the early morning hours of April 10 the occupiers were ejected and some 100 to 300 persons arrested; about 50 were injured.

Students camped on the lawn outside University Hall for brief periods in 2020 and 2024, related to fossil fuel divestment and the Israel-Hamas War, respectively.