The 1919 Parkinson Plan

The information on this microsite (http://www.usc.edu/community/upcmasterplan) reflects archival data last updated in 2008. For the most accurate current information on the University Village Specific Plan, please visit village.usc.edu.

After making the decision to keep USC in the city, President George Bovard engaged John Parkinson, a prominent Los Angeles architect who previously had completed a master plan for Exposition Park, to create the university?s first campus master plan.

Parkinson?s plan envisioned a campus that was connected with Exposition Park via a series of buildings aligned along University Avenue (the street now known as Trousdale Parkway), with gates at either end. In all, 21 buildings were proposed.

A campaign to build eight to 10 of these structures marked the first major turning point in the expansion of the University Park campus ? which had not grown beyond its original bounds for some 40 years. Although World War I delayed implementation of the Parkinson plan, it became the blueprint for USC?s ?building boom? of the 1920s.

During the administration of Rufus von KleinSmid (USC president from 1921 to 1947), USC began to acquire land to the south along University Avenue. Nine new buildings were completed by the end of his first decade in office. Nine more followed in the ensuing years, as the campus expanded to the east.

No new campus buildings were initiated from 1940 to 1949, although USC did purchase some existing structures during this time.