LS History

Temporary Building 9, or TB 9, a metal structure constructed from old military surplus materials, has been the main creative space at UC Davis since the 1960s. The building is where the first-generation art faculty at the university’s first art department created a place to work.

Celeste Turner Wright was the first chair of the Department of English and the first woman to serve on the UC Davis faculty. She was a prolific scholar and played a fundamental role in developing the humanities at UC Davis.

The year 1969 was the beginning of what would become African American and African, Asian American, Chicana/o and Native American studies programs. Since then, these programs have been a catalyst for social and political action on campus and beyond, and cultivated a lifelong commitment to making a difference.