At the time, the College took great pride in the new structure. During the building's dedication on April 22, 1889, the Austin and Calliopean literary societies reported that "as the stone was placed in position, a salute of thirteen guns was fired by the artillery detachments from the second class...the building is to be used for any general assembly of the corps of cadets, for religious services and commencement exercises. The building faces the station and presents an imposing sight to the passengers on the daily trains."
   The architect for this unique piece of campus architecture was Mr. Eugene T. Heiner, the designer of both Pfueffer and Austin halls.    

The building was a drastic change from his other designs. According to architect and long-time archivist Ernest Langford '13, "much of the simplicity of detail shown in the two dormitories was lost in design. Construction was again brick and wood but the whole exterior was covered with a cement plaster.  Quoins and rusticated joints appeared at corners with vermiculation in alternate quoins. Two meaningless towers appeared on the front with minor ones at the rear. The crowning feature of the front facade was a pseudo pediment topped by sheet iron figures representing engineering and agriculture."
   From the above quotation it is easy to see that the building was not among Langford's favorites. In fact he described it as the "most uninteresting structure ever erected on the campus. He thought the cement work gave it a "drab and austere appearance," while the elevations offended his sense of proportion. In retrospect, it was indeed a curious structure. And yet, it had a certain charm in its disproportionate drabness. It was, after all one of a kind. It faced the train station, sticking dolefully out of the bald Texas prairie for all newcomers to see.
   With the construction of Guion Hall in 1918, the old building was no longer needed for assemblies and the administration drew up plans to convert the building into a library. Unfortunately, the ravages of time had weakened the building to such an extent that further modification was impractical. A leaking roof, cracked walls and a failed foundation doomed the building. As with all the early buildings, the expansive clay soils of Brazos County literally pushed and pulled the foundations apart. By the late 1920's the Old Assembly Hall had to be condemned. In 1929 it was torn down to make way for Hart Hall. As a tribute, the corner stone was preserved at the east end of Hart Hall's south wing as mute testament to a bygone era in Aggieland.