USC Widney Hall (Alumni House)

Los Angeles, CA

Client: University of Southern California

Part of the USC master plan (prepared by Michael Dennis) involved relocating the oldest university building in Southern California – a two-story, wood-frame house built in 1880. Widney Hall’s new site aligns with the main campus entry, linking the university’s past with its future. The 40-yard move required the 19th century house to be lifted and carried by tractors while supported on a mat of steel beams.

TWG enlisted a building-&-house-moving consultant to provide details on the operation as well as historical consultants (Kaplan Chen Kaplan) to handle code negotiations under the State Historical Building Code. TWG provided drawings and documents for the move itself, the new foundation, accessible bathroom facilities and egress stairway from the second floor.