The Pitt Building was commissioned in honour of William Pitt the younger and was built opposite his alma mater, Pembroke, in 1833. The architect Edward Blore submitted designs for the main frontage and the fine Oriel Room after the brief stated that it was "desirous that a handsome room should be included." He also incorporated rooms for the new presses and a warehouse for the Cambridge University Press.

Several inns were demolished in Silver Street to make way for the new Pitt Building, giving rise to the quip that the Press was built on "beer and bibles". Bible publishing was one of the main sources of Press income at the time.

For over a hundred years the Pitt Building housed the printing and publishing offices of the Cambridge University Press. In 2004 it was elegantly renovated to the highest modern standards to offer professional conference facilities for up to 250 people.

The Pitt Building, from Trumpington Street

The Oriel Room