A Historical Scavenger Hunt Through USC
By: Camila Grases ‘21
As everyone starts to settle into a constant routine — to class, back home, eat at this dining hall or that one, take the same route there and back every time — it’s really easy to miss some of the amazing things USC has to offer. If you really take a look around, you might find some pretty amazing things that will make you realize USC is full of history, good or bad, that’s worth taking a look at. I have compiled a list of some neat places you should visit while you are here, so grab a friend and take a look around!
1. Widney Alumni House
Built in 1880, the Widney Alumni House is the oldest building on campus and the first building to be built for the University. This original building once housed every aspect of USC, including classrooms and the president’s office. Interestingly, it has been moved various times from its original location North of Bovard and now sits proudly between the rose gardens on campus and Trojan Hall. You can visit the house, which now is home to offices and sometimes hosts events in its beautiful conference room.
2. The Trojan (?) Column
Proudly displayed next to Taper Hall, this artifact claims to be a relic from the ancient city of Troy in modern-day Turkey. The history of the actual artifact is fascinating and it is meant to imbue the campus with the combined power of sacred origins (the temple of Apollo) and its age (dating back to around 60 B.C. during the Roman Empire). However, specialists such as Dr. John Pollini have debunked the column’s origins by noticing multiple things wrong with the university’s claim that the column came from a temple of Apollo in Troy: there are no temples of Apollo in Troy, the column is too small to have belonged to a monumental temple, and the method of construction to build the column does not align with the methods used in Troy. The conclusion — the column is not from Troy but it is from other sites in Turkey during the Roman period and still absolutely worth checking out. You can find Dr. Pollini’s full article here.
3. The Physical Education Building (PED)
As simple as it might seem on the outside, the PED building is one of the oldest buildings on campus. Because of this, the design of the inside of the building is especially confusing. With stairs leading into single doorways and hallways that frequently cause people to get lost, this is one of the buildings on campus that is worth exploring in its fullest. And, if you can find it, there is even an abandoned dark room on the third floor.
4. The Roof of SGM
One of the best views in all of LA, not to mention campus. I highly recommend this spot during the sunset, it is beautiful. This spot is a right of passage of sorts, every USC alumni I know has visited the roof at least once before they graduated. On the roof itself, there is an old helipad that is no longer in use. But the 360 view of the city is worth the trek up.
5. Doheny’s Treasure Room
Doheny is quite literally the best place to learn about the University’s history. Here is where most if not all the records of USC are kept, from documents to blueprints of what now makes up our campus. The treasure room is one of the greatest hidden gems of the library. It is often a place where exhibits of specific genres of books or other kinds of groupings are housed for periods of times. In the past, there was an exhibition of true crime books and games such as original editions of “Clue” and Sherlock Holmes.
6. The Little Chapel of Silence
This is a quiet and reflective room on campus built in 1935 when there was much to be reflective about. It is beautiful and small and is a good place to visit when you feel like you need a peaceful place or a place of worship. It contains a brass mural of a Trysting Tree which, in old English and French traditions, was a place for people to meet for various reasons. Everyone is welcome inside its little walls and you can even write a prayer and slip it into a prayer box. If you write a prayer, it is read aloud twice a year and burned in a ceremony hosted by the Office of Religious Life.
8. Scene Dock Theatre
The Scene Dock Theatre is one of the University’s smallest perform venues. When the Greenroom Theatre burnt down in 1996, USC repurposed this old scene shop to become what it is today: an intimate theatre with a capacity of just 99 people. The building itself has a spunk to it and the courtyard that surrounds it is especially appealing. It’s a little nook behind parking structure 1 next to Viterbi. Don’t let the photo fool you, it’s a little spot with a porch swing and trees that is more often than not missed by countless people. Its recent history makes this fun study area the final item on the list.
For a really great article on what truly old USC was like check this article out by the Daily Trojan. And just as a final note, this is our home and it’s great to know its history as best as we can.
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