Arts & Sciences Auditorium

President Truman set out on a tour of the west in 1950 and wound up in Laramie, speaking to students, educators, and community members about his campaign and the ongoings of the world. Truman addressed ideas such as affordable housing and medical care which appealed to the masses during the wartime efforts. The setting of this speech was notably the auditorium at UWyo's Arts and Sciences building. 

The structure was completed in 1936, designed by William Dubois, and given the original name of "The Liberal Arts Building." In 1956, the building underwent a name change that reimagined it as a home for the arts: the "Arts and Sciences Building." The university's honors program found a home here when it launched in 1958. Soon after, the theater department also found sanctuary in the lower levels, closest to the auditorium's stage entrances. 

Almost a century later, the Arts and Sciences Building continues to host lectures, classes, and seminars in the classrooms that surround the vast, open, and story-filled auditorium where Truman spoke. In this heart of the building, concerts, speeches, and other large events continue to take place, creating rich public memories in a space that protects creative freedom and expression.

Contributed by Taylor Gamroth