Welcome back to our series chronicling the University of Wyoming’s architectural legacy and the fascinating stories behind it. Today, we’re diving into the history of the Arts and Sciences Building, a structure that not only shaped the physical landscape of the campus but also pushed the boundaries of university financing.

The story of the Arts and Sciences Building begins with the founding of the University of Wyoming in 1886. The College of Arts and Sciences, originally known as the Collegiate Department, was there from the start, forming the backbone of UW’s liberal arts curriculum.

In those early days, just five professors and two tutors, housed in Old Main, taught over 100 courses. Students could earn bachelor’s degrees in arts, philosophy, letters, or science. Talk about a heavy course load!

Wyoming’s statehood in 1890 ushered in a period of growth. By 1891, the faculty had doubled, student enrollment had tripled, and the Collegiate Department had been renamed the College of Liberal Arts. The stage was set for decades of evolution and expansion.

As UW entered the 20th century, the swelling ranks of students made the need for more classrooms painfully clear. Academic departments were scattered across campus, and the dream of bringing departments under one roof began to take shape. But turning that dream into reality would require navigating from boom to bust and pioneering new approaches to university financing.

The 1920s were a time of relative prosperity for the University of Wyoming. Oil royalties from University lands provided a steady, if variable, income stream. The UW Board of Trustees preserved these royalties in the University Permanent Land Fund, using only the income for operating expenses.

But as plans for a new liberal arts building began to solidify, the nation plunged into the Great Depression. This economic crisis would play a crucial role in shaping the building’s funding and construction, pushing the University to explore innovative – and controversial – financing options.

On December 7, 1933, UW President Arthur Crane presented a bold plan to the Board of Trustees. In a meeting attended by Governor Leslie Miller, Crane proposed seeking federal funds for campus construction projects, similar to those obtained by universities in Montana, Utah, and Minnesota.

At the top of Crane’s wish list was a liberal arts building with an auditorium. His proposal was thorough, even including estimates of how many local unemployed workers could find relief through the construction project. The estimated price tag was $300,000 (about $7,264,523.08 in today’s dollars). The financing plan was innovative: 30% would come as a grant from the United States or a federal agency, while the remainder would be secured by pledging income from University land funds.

The Board’s decision was far from unanimous. The motion to approve Crane’s plan passed by a narrow margin: 5 ayes, 3 noes, and 1 absent. This split vote underscores the controversial nature of the proposal, even among the University’s leadership.

The next step was securing legislative approval, which came through House Bill 92. The bill passed the house by a vote of 43-15 and squeaked through the Senate 14-12 before being signed into law by Governor Miller on December 20, 1933.

With legislative approval secured, UW was ready to enter uncharted financial waters. The Public Works Administration (PWA) agreed to provide an outright grant of more than $80,000, but there was a catch: the University needed to provide security for a loan of $228,000 through the sale of University bonds.

This was unprecedented. Never before had the University of Wyoming issued bonds to fund a construction project. A similar plan had been rejected by the legislature just two years earlier. The proposal raised a flurry of questions:

Would these bonds constitute a general state debt, requiring voter approval as per the constitution?

How would University bonds be rated and sold in the financial markets?

Could these bonds be considered a legal investment for state-held funds, like bonds from Wyoming cities, counties, and school districts?

If the answer to the last question was yes, it opened up an intriguing possibility: the bonds could be purchased by the state treasurer, with the interest paid by the University into its own fund for its own use. It was a bold, innovative approach to financing in higher education.

To settle these questions, a lawsuit was brought to determine the constitutionality of the plan. In June 1934, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled in favor of the University on all counts, paving the way for this groundbreaking financial maneuver.

However, the ruling wasn’t without its critics. Justice Fred H. Blume, while supporting the decision, couldn’t resist sharing some rather flowery philosophical musings on the matter. In a statement that reads more like Victorian literature than a legal opinion, Justice Blume waxed poetic:

Is there no end? Many of us were not brought up in the bosom of luxury, nor did we sleep in marble halls. The village schools and their humble surroundings and the university campus graced with edifices hoary with age seemed to us to satisfy the longings for learning.

Warming to his theme, Justice Blume continued with a dire warning from history:

We have heard of the existence in the past of cities, once humming with the glad refrain of thousands of happy human beings, lying now desolate with their stately baths, their roomy porticoes, their sacred shrines in ruins, because no space, no corner, no nook had become exempt from the invasion of public burdens. Do ruins tell tales merely to be scorned?

Despite these poetic cautions, progress marched on. The innovative bond plan was put into effect. All of the bonds were purchased by the state treasurer using money from the University Permanent Land Fund—a solution as elegant as it was unprecedented.

With funding secured, the project could finally break ground. In the summer of 1934, Cheyenne architect William Dubois was selected to design the building. The chosen location was the site of the Little Theatre, built as a gymnasium and armory in 1903. That fall, the old gym and theatre were demolished to make way for the future.

On January 26, 1935, the university accepted a bid from F.J. Kirchof Construction of Denver. Ground was broken on February 5, and the cornerstone was laid in a ceremony on November 4.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the construction was the level of student involvement. UW students contributed significantly to the project, cutting stones from a quarry northeast of Laramie and digging the sewer mains. This hands-on approach not only aided the construction but also fostered a sense of ownership among the student body.

By late May 1936, despite some challenges with cost overruns, the building stood ready for action. The Honors Assembly on May 26 christened the new auditorium, followed by a student production of George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra, baccalaureate services, and finally, commencement on June 8.

The new facility quickly became a hub not just for the university, but for the wider community. It offered a venue for outside groups to hold conferences, expanding UW’s role as a center for gathering and learning.

In 1956, the structure was renamed the Arts and Sciences Building, reflecting the college’s new name. This change marked the beginning of a period of significant growth. The oil boom of the 1960s funded both intellectual and physical expansion. New departments sprouted up: Social Work (1970), Computer Science (1971), Criminal Justice (1973), and Gender and Women’s Studies (1977), among others.

Eight decades later, the Arts and Sciences Building remains a hub of activity on UW’s campus. Its halls, once filled with the echoes of New Deal optimism, now resonate with the voices of modern academia. While the building has adapted to changing times, it stands as a tangible link to UW’s Depression-era ingenuity—a reminder of how far the university has come, and the innovative spirit that helped it get there.

See How the Campus Has Evolved Since the 1930s

The Arts & Sciences Building’s Depression-era construction was just one chapter in UW’s ongoing transformation. Curious about how other campus landmarks have changed since those New Deal days? Our virtual exhibit “Keeping History Alive: 136 Years of Progress” pairs historic photos from our collections with current campus shots to show how university life has evolved since 1887. You’ll see familiar buildings through the decades and get a real sense of how much—and how little—has changed over the years. For additional perspectives on campus development and architecture, explore our exhibit “University of Wyoming: A Brief History of Campus.”