Woodbury University Creates Library from Former Chapel

When Woodbury University dedicates its new campus Friday, much of the interior design will have been donated by 15 alumni.

The 103-year-old university was previously located at 1027 Wilshire Blvd. in downtown Los Angeles. The new campus is on a 22.4-acre site that fronts on 7500 Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, although most of the property is in Los Angeles.

It formerly had been the Villa Cabrini Academy and more recently, Lutheran High School.

One of the major campus design projects was the library, which was created from the former chapel. Alumni Carlos and Daryl deFalla of the deFalla & Dawson Design Group, Pasadena, who led the library project, had the dark wood ceiling sandblasted and stained white to lighten the room.

Existing Italian chandeliers were refinished to their original brass and steel. Several of the chapel’s stained-glass windows were retained.

Other alumni directed the design of the classrooms, dormitories and offices.

Don Conway, director of Woodbury’s architecture and interior design program and interior design student Nancie Pike assisted the alumni.