USC construction will continue this fall
It takes a village · The USC Village, slated to open in fall 2017, has made much progress since the spring semester ended. The new Village is just one of the many building projects USC is currently working on. – Joseph Chen | Daily Trojan
With the start of a new school year just around the corner, returning students might be able to spot several new additions made to the campus since they last saw it. This past summer, the USC’s construction on a number of its capital projects has continued to progress on schedule.
The Kaufman School of Dance will be welcoming its first B.F.A. class this fall, and progress on the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center, located along West Jefferson Boulevard, has proceeded on schedule to be completed by Fall 2016. In the meantime, the incoming students will utilize temporary dance studios being prepared in both the Physical Education Building and the Hancock Auditorium and Museum. Even though construction on these studios began just a few months ago, they will be ready just in time for the fall semester.
This past October saw the start of a new project on Downey Way and McClintock Avenue: the Michelson Center for Convergent Biosciences. This new building is expected to be completed in two years and will serve as a new space for research. The facilities will be available to students within both the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the Viterbi School of Engineering to encourage collaboration in biological sciences and biomedical engineering.
Similarly, the Jill and Frank Fertitta Hall, located at the corner where Exposition Boulevard and Figueroa Street meet, will be completed in May 2016. As a result of the Fertitta’s generous donation to the Campaign for USC, this five-story building will provide the Marshall School of Business with a total of 1,046 more classroom seats, as well as 50 breakout rooms.
Another capital project supported through the Campaign is USC’s highly anticipated Village. According to Craig Keys, associate senior vice president for civic engagement, construction is on schedule with 25 percent of the project complete and will be ready in Fall 2017. In just two years, 1.2 million square feet of retail shops, classroom space, dining and student housing, along with two levels of subterranean parking, will stand tall on Hoover Street and Jefferson Boulevard. While this project will surely have a lasting effect on USC’s students and the city once it is completed, it has already begun to affect the community by creating 4,000 construction-related jobs.
To accommodate for the expanding campus, construction on the Shrine parking structure will begin this upcoming fall and is expected to be ready for use in Fall 2016. Located on West Jefferson Boulevard, this project will provide the University Park Campus with 1,300 more parking spaces that can be used conveniently for events at the Shrine Auditorium, athletic events and the new residence halls at the Village. Moreover, it will expand availability for short-term parking as well as long-term permit parking.
In preparation for the new academic year that will begin on Aug. 24, Leavey Library, located on West 35th Street, underwent renovations this past summer, which included fresh paint on the second floor as well as the stairwell for all floors. Additionally, the second floor will be showcasing newly-installed carpets, upgraded computers and two new study rooms.
As a few long-awaited buildings near the end of their preparation, new construction projects are being planned at the same time.