University House has long been the official residence of presidents and chancellors of the University of California. Until 1958, it was called the President's House. It is now occupied by the Chancellor.

Albert Pissis was chosen as architect because of his role in preparing the Hearst Competition. One of San Francisco's most prominent architects, Pissis was known for his commercial and office buildings designed in the Neo-Classic tradition of the Beaux Arts.

University House is an example of the Mediterranean villa type popular at the beginning of the 20th century. The style was considered appropriate as a symbol of the fledgling University's ties with Mediterranean culture.

Although ground was broken for University House by Mrs. Hearst in 1900, the building was not completed in its present form until 1911. The lengthy building period was caused by inconsistent financing and changing suggestions for the building's use. At one time, it was proposed as an architecture and law building. In 1910, John Galen Howard redesigned the interior and made a landscaping plan for Benjamin Ide Wheeler and his family, who moved there in 1911.