Belvin Hall was built in 1936 as the first student residence on campus, as a Public Works Administration project for $174,000. The hall was named in honor of Caroline Belvin, a former Dean of Women for the college. The hall was originally for female students only and had a dining hall in its basement, replacing the Campus Cafeteria, the first cafeteria on campus.

In 1945, a new dormitory was needed due to the increase of students and an addition was added, Buchanan Hall. Buchanan Hall was named after Sarah Rosalie Patten Buchanan, the head of the English Department and the first woman to become a full professor in any state school in Texas. This addition resulted in the renaming of the hall to Belvin-Buchanan Hall to reflect both buildings.

Belvin-Buchanan underwent interior renovations in 1978-1979, where the dining hall was replaced by a cafeteria, allowing food to be served at various times instead of a fixed schedule. The cafeteria was named Cafe Belvin and closed in August 2011 when the Old Main Market cafeteria opened.

In May 2006, the hall was closed for renovations to its heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and electrical and didn't open until January 2007.

After the spring 2015, the residence hall became co-ed and only for students in the College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication. To prepare for this transition, in Spring 2014 the cafeteria space was renovated to become the FAMC Creative Community. The FAMC Creative Community includes an 80-seat theatre, sound studios, computer lab, dance studio, student art gallery, and conference rooms for students. The Creative Community opened in August 2015.