When the university built its first apartment building for unmarried students, the hall was hailed as a new approach for single-student housing. Fifteen stories high, the building was commonly referred to as the Rose Avenue Apartments. When the name of Rose Avenue was changed to Andy Holt Avenue, the building became commonly known as the Andy Holt Apartments.
The building, which cost $5.3 million, was built with a capacity of 1,150. The building has three-student and four-student apartments, each of which has a kitchen, living room, study area, bathroom, and two bedrooms. Goodstein and Hahn was the architectural firm for the project. Walker Graham of Memphis was the contractor.
Scheduled for completion in 1970, a construction strike delayed completion of the building. Most of the residents with contracts were accommodated, but 130 students assigned to the unfinished second and third floor apartments were temporarily housed in Stadium Hall. Those who did move in lacked telephone service. More than $12,000 of furniture was stolen as the building opened with students, staff, workers, and thieves wandering around the building.