UCLA acquires iconic downtown L.A. building, fulfilling its decadelong vision
For UCLA, it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
With its announcement today of the acquisition of the historic Trust Building in downtown Los Angeles, the university, which had long sought to expand its presence in the heart of the city, has taken another major step in broadening access to a UCLA education and strengthening its engagement with the city’s diverse and dynamic communities.
The procurement of the 11-story property, built in 1928 and located on South Spring Street in downtown’s Historic Core, just blocks from Pershing Square, sends a clear message to the people of Los Angeles that UCLA is deeply invested in their future and that of the entire region, campus leaders said.
“Los Angeles is one of the world’s greatest cities, and our university’s location within it both enriches the UCLA experience and provides us innumerable opportunities to serve our local communities,” Chancellor Gene Block and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt wrote in a message to the campus. “We are thrilled about the possibilities this new space offers and confident that it will further intertwine UCLA and L.A., helping us to deepen the impact of our teaching, research and public service mission.”
Deepening that impact has become one of UCLA’s strategic priorities, especially as the desire for a first-class public education has skyrocketed locally and statewide — and the campus has continued to build its connective tissue throughout Los Angeles to meet the demand. This latest acquisition comes on the heels of UCLA’s announcement last September of a new 24.5-acre UCLA South Bay campus in Rancho Palos Verdes and an 11-acre residential site, the UCLA South Bay Villas in San Pedro, which will soon enable UCLA to reach and serve more students.