Harrison College House was built in 1971-72, following the University's decision to place a mixture of skyscraper apartment buildings and low-rise dormitories on the newly acquired land between 38th and 40th Streets. T-shaped in plan, with a boldly massed rear facade in which the top floors appear to stand on tall columns of glass, Harrison and its two skyscraper sisters, Harnwell and Rodin, were designed by G. Holmes Perkins, Dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts from 1951 to 1971. Dean Perkins assembled the stellar team of architects to work on the project, including Louis I. Kahn, who propelled Penn to the top of the list of American architecture schools in the 1960s.  Harrison College House is named in honor of W. Welsh Harrison, an alumnus of the Class of 1904. 

Since 2004, Harrison College House has undergone a series of renovations that have provided the House with a number of new amenities -- the Heyer Sky Lounge features a kitchen and baby grand piano, a lounge on every residential floor, a Café with a selection of snacks and beverages, a computer lab open 24-hours, an exercise room, a multimedia classroom, an ATM, a DVD/video library, a wide screen TV, and a music practice room with several upright pianos. 

Harrison College House is configured as an apartment building, with wall-to-wall carpeting, seasonal air conditioning, private baths, and, in many cases, kitchens. Due to the apartment-style layout, Harrison's 797 residents enjoy a great deal of freedom and privacy, balanced by a healthy sense of floor community. They also enjoy spectacular views of Philadelphia and its surrounding area from the upper floors. The Harrison dining room, reserved for residents of the House, is located in the Class of 1920 Commons.