USC's School of Dramatic Arts has cut the ribbon on its new home - a nearly-century-old church.

"Interior of the Sanctuary theater, formerly the chapel space, under construction."Cesar Murillo

An official ceremony - which included USC President Carol F0lt, the School of Dramatic Arts' Dean Dr. Emily Roxworthy, and actor LeVar Burton - marks the completion of a process announced in 2021. Perkins Eastman | Pfeiffer designed the reuse of the nonagenarian structure, building off of the original design work by C. Raimond Johnson.

The former United University Church, completed in 1931, has been repurposed to consolidate all of the School of Dramatic Arts' programs under a single roof. What was once the church chapel now serves as a studio theater called "the Sanctuary." Historic features such as wood trusses, arches, vaulted ceilings, columns, and stained-glass windows have been preserved, albeit with the addition of modern necessities such as catwalks, theatrical lighting, and speakers, as well as mechanical upgrades and fire sprinklers.

The lower level of the building includes a new flex space called "the Stop Gap," which can be used for performances, as well as a media suite, rehearsal spaces, classrooms, an audio lab, practice rooms, a recording studio, and administrative offices.

"The Stop Gap, a flexible/improv cabaret space."Jim Sarratori

The approximately 30,000-square-foot building has been designed to target LEED certification, per a Perkins Eastman news release.

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