A Brief History

Era of the Founders (1880-1921)
The von KleinSmid Era (1921-1947)
Era of Maturity (1946-1980)
Great Expectations (1980-1991)
Steven B. Sample (1991-present)

Los Angeles was little more than a frontier town in the 1870s, when a group of public-spirited citizens with a reverence for learning first sought ot establish a university in the region. Although the "city" still lacked paved streets, electric lights, telephones and a reliable fire alarm system, the effort to create an institution of higher education in Southern California, led by members of the region's Methodist Episcopal Conference, found an enthusiastic reception among the dusty town's more far-sighted residents, who were eager to advance Los Angeles beyond its uncultivated roots.

In 1879, three community leaders - Ozro W. Childs, a Protestant horticulturist; former California Governor John G. Downey, an Irish-Catholic businessman; and Isaias W. Hellman, a German-Jewish banker and philanthropist - deeded to the Board of Trustees of the nascent University of Southern California 308 lots, which were located in an area designated "West Los Angeles," near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Exposition Boulevard. Sales of the lots would create an endowment to provide the seeds of financial support for the institution. A portion of the land, which was located within the original land grant establishing "El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles," was to be reserved for the actual campus. More than an act of generosity, the gift of land was an expression of confidence in the future.

Next Page

Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
univpub@stuaff.usc.edu