The Dick Wolf Drama Center is the recipient of a 2026 Preservation Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy, one of the region’s most distinguished honors in historic preservation. The building was recognized at the Conservancy’s annual awards ceremony, held April 14 at the historic Ebell of Los Angeles in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood. Representatives from USC’s Facilities Planning and Management and members of the USC School of Dramatic Arts joined project design and construction teams on hand to accept the award.
A Historic Building, Reimagined
The building was originally a Romanesque Revival church built in 1931 and designed by C. Raimond Johnson — a USC alumnus himself and former lecturer in the university’s School of Architecture. The transformation into a home for the USC School of Dramatic Arts was a careful balancing act. Architects and preservation specialists worked alongside university leadership to honor the building’s historic character while preparing it for 21st-century dramatic arts education. The original steel windows were restored and upgraded for energy efficiency rather than replaced. The historic chapel — with its stained glass, arches, and plaster details — was converted into a flexible performance space, the Sanctuary Theatre. Rehearsal rooms, classrooms, and student gathering spaces were introduced in ways that respected the building’s existing structure, and seismic reinforcement was integrated throughout to ensure safety.
The project also achieved LEED Platinum certification, the highest rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. As Dean Emily Roxworthy noted when that milestone was announced: “This achievement demonstrates that creative spaces can be designed with sustainability at their core without compromising the specialized needs of a dramatic arts education. Our students now train in a facility that models the values we hope they’ll carry forward in their careers — innovation, responsibility and forward-thinking creativity.”
Soffa echoed that vision: “The Dick Wolf Drama Center demonstrates that adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of historic buildings can retain their historic character and charm, be made highly sustainable, facilitate modern building systems and provide an exceptional new home.”
The building is one of more than 40 historic structures on USC’s University Park Campus, and its rehabilitation reflects the university’s broader commitment to the stewardship of its historic resources.
Named for a Storytelling Legend
The center bears the name of Dick Wolf, Emmy Award-winning creator and producer, and one of the most consequential storytellers in the history of television. His generous support made the project possible and ensures that the next generation of USC dramatic artists will have a world-class environment to develop their craft.
A Living Space for the Next Generation
Today, actors rehearse beneath 95-year old vaulted ceilings and students record auditions down the hall in studios built for today’s creative industries. The Dick Wolf Drama Center is not a relic — it is a working, inspiring space, much like the art form it houses.
The Los Angeles Conservancy’s Preservation Awards honor outstanding achievements in historic preservation across Los Angeles County, selected each year by an independent jury of experts in architecture, preservation, and community development. In recognizing the Drama Center, the jury noted how the project demonstrates that historic places can evolve while continuing to inspire the communities around them.
The USC School of Dramatic Arts is proud to join the Conservancy in celebrating the ongoing story of this remarkable building.