Completed in 1931, Scripps Cottage was the first new building erected during the second phase of construction on the new Montezuma Mesa campus. Funding for the building was provided by the state ($5,000) and a $6,000 gift from Ellen Browning Scripps, half-sister of Edward W. Scripps, founder of the media conglomerate E.W. Scripps Company and the United Press International news syndicate.

Scripps is a one-story cottage designed by an unknown architect in the Mission Revival Style. It originally was located near the south side of the Quad but was moved in 1968 to its current location on Scripps Terrace to make room for Love Library.

Women were the beneficiaries of the new building. Scripps Cottage provided a lounge and gathering place for female students, who used it to play bridge, dance, read, and socialize. It was furnished by the Mother's Club of the campus YWCA and contained a lounge, kitchen, hostess room, a porch, and offices for the Associated Women Students. The campus YMCA and YWCA also had their headquarters at Scripps Cottage, and until 1993, it was a center for international students. Currently, Scripps Cottage is used as a conference and meeting space.

In 1970, the area adjacent to Scripps Cottage was paved, thus inspiring English Professor James Hinkle to lead a student sit-in at the parking lot, demanding that the area be landscaped as a park for the people. In 1972, his wishes were fulfilled. The oasis-like area around the cottage is one of the loveliest sites on campus, featuring lush trees, flower gardens, and a multilevel fish and turtle pond.