At its June 1969 meeting, the UT Board of Trustees approved construction of a new building contiguous to the recently completed Communications and University Extension Building, designed to house the Computer Center, Student Services, and some administrative functions, as well as an administrative tower behind it. The philosophy behind the building was to have one central location at which students could take care of interactions with administrative functions of the institution. The original plan was to have the four-story semicircular building tie into the Communications and University Extension Building and to have a 12-story tower for administrative offices, complete with parking. The two sections of the complex were to be connected by a “bridge” that would also contain some offices. A parking garage, which was to be part of the complex, had been completed in 1968.
Bids received for construction of the complex were rejected on March 30, 1970, because they were substantially above the $5.2 million capital outlay budget for the complex. The Computer Center was removed from plans for the Student Services Building and relocated to the proposed addition to Glocker Business Administration Building, and the number of floors in the tower was reduced.
The garage, with three levels holding 740 cars, was complete for fall 1968. The parking garage cost $1.2 million. Bruce McCarty and Associates was the architectural firm for the complex. Johnson and Galyon was the contractor for the administrative complex, consisting of the Student Services Building and the Andy Holt Tower.