The isolation unit of University Hospital was built at the corner of Jefferson and Gilbert Streets just to the northeast of University Hospital, separate from but within easy communication of the main hospital building. The function of this facility moved with the rest of the hospital to the west campus in 1928. After that the former isolation unit was converted for use by the Department of Music, and a Georgian Revival rehearsal hall, designed by George Horner, was added to the south end of the building in 1931 (razed in 1988). When the Voxman Music Building was completed in 1971, the School of Music vacated the building, which took on the designation of Old Music Building. After that it was used for graduate painting studios.
The red-brick foundation level and buff-colored upper stories of the Old Music Building retain the exterior color and materials of the adjacent Seashore Hall (University Hospital) complex. The Georgian Revival only suggested in the original main building is, however, fully embraced in the Old Music Building. The column-flanked main (north) entrance, Palladian windows, and gambrel roof of the projecting center section are all clear markers of that historicizing style. The pronounced dormers and the mutules under the cornice of the third floor reinforced the stylistic orientation. While in use as an isolation ward, the building’s south face was adorned with balconies, which allowed light and fresh air to the patients. The balconies were later removed as the function of the building changed.