The idea of a student union - a clubhouse or activities center for students - was first established at Oxford University in 1823. Houston Hall was based on the models of the Cambridge University and Oxford University Unions. In 1893, the University of Pennsylvania Trustees decided to provide a facility for the social and recreational use of students. Trustee Charles Custis Harrison announced a contest for its design, open to students and recent graduates of the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. Two students, William C. Hays and Milton Bennett Medary, Jr., won the competition. The final design for the building was a combination of the two entries, and was executed by architect and faculty memberFrank Miles Day, with Hays and Medary listed as associate architects. , 1895 To finance the project, Harrison secured a donation of $100,000 from University Trustee Henry Howard Houston and his wife Sallie S. Houston. The Hall was named as a memorial to their son, Henry Howard Houston, Jr., who had died in Rome within a year of his graduation. The cornerstone of the building was laid on January 22, 1894, and Houston Hall was dedicated January 2, 1896. Prior to the building's opening, a "Houston Club" was formed, allowing membership to any male student and charging yearly dues of two dollars. The dues were then applied to the operation of the facilities. The original Houston Hall featured a 4-lane bowling alley, swimming pool, gymnasium and locker rooms in the basement; a student lounge, billiards room and reception areas on the first floor; an auditorium, athletic department offices and trophy room on the second floor; and offices for student clubs on the third floor. A women's student union, Bennett Hall, was built at 34th & Walnut Streets in 1926. Houston Hall has undergone several renovations throughout its history. In 1936, Robert Rodes McGoodwin expanded it with a dining hall at the east end and a student lounge at the west end. In 2000, Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates completed a renovation of the building. Houston Hall now contains a cafeteria and other eating establishments, study rooms, auditoriums, and numerous meeting rooms and offices.
