Cutler Union opened on Campus Day, June 10, 1933. Construction began in 1932. An example of "collegiate gothic" architecture, Cutler Union served as the student union for the women's campus of the University of Rochester. It was designed by the local firm of Gordon and Kaelber with Charles Platt as consulting architect.
Interior decoration was under the supervision of Ezra Winter, the muralist who was responsible for the murals in the Eastman Theatre.
Cutler Union was designed to harmonize with the Memorial Art Gallery, which it faced across campus. Like the Gallery, it is built in Indiana limestone, and its "classical" style was approved by Emily Sibley Watson.
Inside and out, Cutler Union is decorated with symbols associated with the University of Rochester: dandelions (the University flower), symbols of the arts and sciences, and the University's motto, Meliora (ever better).