As originally designed by the Northfield firm of Sovik, Mathre, and Madson, the exterior of the St. Olaf Center featured glass curtain walls accented by gray limestone from Lannon, Wis. The stonework provided continuity with older buildings in the Norman Gothic style, Boe Memorial Chapel and newer residence halls. The building also offered the college important promotional imagery. The largely glass exterior, the open stairways and lounges and the building’s ample 82,500 square feet gave it a spacious and airy feeling. The 900-seat main dining room on the top floor of the building provided spectacular views of the farming country to the west and north and of Northfield and the Cannon River Valley to the east. Similar views to the west and north were available in the coffee shop (the Cage), which accommodated 250 people, and the 70-seat Kings' Dining Room.

The major facilities on the ground floor included a post office, the St. Olaf Bookstore and a 30 by 95-foot lounge. The lounge opened above to smaller balcony lounges, and was dominated by a freestanding fireplace. The lounge was separated from a central corridor by panels of Italian travertine and colored glass, set in epoxy resin, by August Molder of Minneapolis. The college’s Norwegian heritage was emphasized by public art displays on the main floor, especially by a set of carved and painted doors by Dagfin Werenskiold, “The Life in the Forest.” (The doors were originally intended for the Oslo Cathedral.) The lounges and the corridor provided spaces for casual meetings and announcements.

The lower level of the Center, as originally designed, included much needed indoor recreational facilities: a billiards room, an eight-lane bowling alley with automated pin setters, a “hi fi” listening room and easy access to an adjacent skating rink. Offices and a meeting room for the student government were nearby.