One other structure built during the McCosh era merits inclusion in this discussion of student life. Although not commissioned by the College, the University Hotel was built in 1875, and was an important addition to both the town and the campus. A group of alumni, noting the lack of convenient and suitable accommodations in Princeton, secured the backing of the College to build and operate a hotel at the corner of University Place and Nassau Street.

The University Hotel was designed by Potter and his partner, R.H. Robertson, in the High Victorian Gothic style. It remained solvent for only eight years, at which point it was taken over by the College. McCosh promptly converted it into dormitory rooms and student dining facilities. Eventually it became the first underclass Commons.