The MUB, as it became known, has the distinction of being the last building in the centre of campus designed in the Collegiate Gothic style and completely clad in greystone. It was designed to serve as a memorial to the students, faculty and staff of the University of Saskatchewan who perished overseas in the First and Second World Wars.
During the 1945-46 academic year, a Students’ Union Building Committee was formed. The Committee outlined proposals for the new building, which included an auditorium, a ballroom, lounge rooms, a tuck shop and student offices all for a cost of $600,000. A brief on the Committee’s findings and proposals was later presented to the university’s Board of Governors, which created a $100,000 sinking fund for construction of the building. Student fees were also increased by $4.00 to raise an additional $200,000 for the building. In addition, the University of Saskatchewan Student’s Union (USSU) launched the Memorial Union Building Fund, which solicited donations from U of S alumni worldwide, as well as a number of local and national businesses.
The MUB formally opened on November 11, 1955. It was used primarily for student functions including dancing, card-playing, chess, and studying, though it never became the hub of student activities it was originally intended to be. Still, the building remains today a center of social life on campus, serving as home to the offices of various student societies, a Louis’ pub, and a coffee shop.