Hamilton Hall was built in 1910 as a women's dormitory. Omnipresent local architect Fred Willson designed the four-and-a-half story structure in the Mission Revival style. It was named for Emma Hamilton, wife of MSU President James Hamilton, who died in 1909. For years, it was the only on-campus student residence available. It had no room numbers; every room was named for the first woman to live there. Men were barred from any area except the lobby. Any time a man came to call on a young woman, a bell would ring on her floor and she would have to come down to meet him. In summer 1943, Hamilton Hall housed about 100 women training for military nursing duty. The nurses were moved into empty frat houses (all the young men were at war), and Hamilton Hall was used by young men training for the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Hamilton Hall was turned into offices in 1967. It was almost demolished in the 1980s, after university officials considered a plan to build an underground museum and office tower on the site.

In 2009, Hamilton Hall underwent a $1 million structural stabilization and renovation project. Additional structural problems were discovered, and another $2 million added to the budget.

The foundations and interior wood framing for the first and second floors were completely demolished. An additional four feet of soil beneath the building was excavated, and a new concrete foundation installed that met current earthquake standards. A new steel frame was installed on the first and second floors, and the floor structures attached to the exterior brick walls to enhance earthquake survivability. The first and second floors were restored to historic accuracy, removing interior alterations made over the years. Structural reinforcements were also made to the second, third, and fourth floors (all of which were sagging).

At some point, the structure's original north stairs were removed and modern stairs constructured. The modern stairs were now removed, and a historically accurate replacement installed.

The renovation also cleaned, repaired, repointed, and sealed the exterior masonry; replaced the 1910 single-pane windows and doors with energy efficient ones in a historic style; replaced the electrical, HVAC, and mechanical systems; and made landscaping changes to improve drainage and prevent water infiltration into the foundation.

As of 2013, Hamilton Hall houses Gallatin College (a community college within the college) and the Air Force and Army ROTC programs.