Holder Hall was the first major Princeton commission for the Philadelphia firm of Day and Klauder, which, over time, was responsible for designing 18 buildings on campus. That the structure's style would be Collegiate Gothic was axiomatic. What had to be settled were the longer-range plans for the site, including the expansion of undergraduate living and dining facilities. Early plans for these "freshman dormitories" called for two adjoining quadrangles with a large memorial tower and dining halls in the center.

As the first piece of such a complex, construction on Holder began in 1909. A U-shaped building with the open side facing west, Holder was completed the following year. Its 140-foot tall memorial tower was finished in 1911, a few months after the so-called "southwest extension" dormitory was completed. Later named Hamilton Hall, this small dormitory was connected to the main Holder courtyard by an archway through a magnificent cloister, which was built in 1912-13.