Revamp Beautifies USC Health Sciences Campus

With 70 construction projects under way in the last few years, USC’s Health Sciences Campus has undergone a construction boom unseen since it first opened in 1952.

The 79-acre campus in Boyle Heights is home to USC’s medical and pharmacy schools and several hospitals and health professions programs.

Enhancements range from pedestrian-friendly landscaping to new facilities for patients and researchers.

The aim of the campus improvements, envisioned by USC President C. L. Max Nikias and the school’s master plan, is to establish advanced research and treatment facilities while also giving the campus more of a “university feel” to match the look of the University Park Campus. Here are just a few of the notable changes:

Norris Healthcare Center
The new medical building at the corner of Alcazar and San Pablo streets will expand outpatient care space and include infusion therapy services, an outpatient surgery center and a program in women’s cancers.

USC Stevens Hall for Neuroimaging
Home of the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, the building holds more than 100 faculty and staff in neuroscience, biology and related fields. Formerly the Raulston Memorial Research Building, the renovated site also houses one of the most powerful magnetic resonance imaging machines in North America.

Currie Hall
The 178-unit residential housing complex offers students fully furnished apartments with private bedrooms and bathrooms. It includes communal spaces and study areas, as well as a child care center that can accommodate more than 100 children.

Sidewalks and Landscaping
Sidewalks have been widened and beautified in a project that includes brick ribboning, 350 new trees and landscaping. Paths will be illuminated by 265 new light posts. Markers and building signs also have been added to help visitors navigate the campus.

Streets and Parking
To ease traffic, signal lights will be installed at three intersections: Soto and Norfolk streets, San Pablo and Alcazar streets and Norfolk Street/Eastlake Avenue and San Pablo Street. Across campus, 1,900 parking spaces have been added, including the opening of a 1,200-space parking structure at San Pablo Street and Valley Boulevard.