The Humanities Building was the first built under the Public Works Administration and was completed in December, 1935. In July, 1977, it became the Center for English as a Second Language.
It was designed by Roy Place with J.J. Garfield Building Co. as the contractor. In 1967, alterations and air conditioning cost $74,471. Mrs. Evelyn Kirmse, Dean of Women at the time it was built, said in a recent interview: "We welcomed that building because it gave us very badly-needed classrooms. But we didn't have enough money to do as good a job with it as we would have liked. I recall President Shantz saying, 'I don't care if we have to cut there. As long as we get rooms and seats in it. The main idea is to get the shell of that building up. We'll get money for the refinements later.' Of course, we never did. "
Lew Place remembers an electrical sub-contractor, who went by the name of Henry, his surname.
"It was the first job that Henry got the bid for, under Garfield or anyone else. Garfield was going to pour the second floor of concrete all at one time and bond it.
"Henry was on the second floor setting his conduits and his outlets in the floor. I was on the job as inspector for my father, Roy. Jay Garfield and I were on the second floor watching Henry. Jay walked over and said, 'Son, I'm going to be pouring concrete in just an hour from now and you sure better get that stuff in there because if it isn't, it'll be covered. I'm going to pour concrete over the whole floor.'
"Poor Henry didn't have anybody working for him and you should have seen him running around there marking those places where the conduits and outlets were to go. Jay did it. He poured right over them when he said he would. "The Humanities Building is located east of the old Library Building, now part of the Arizona State Museum, and north of the Speech Building.