After the Quake : NEWS IN BRIEF : Safety Concerns Spur Evacuation of 150 USC Students in Dormitory

USC officials on Tuesday began evacuating 150 students from a Downtown dormitory because of concerns that some of the masonry walls inside the historic 1914 building could fall and trap residents during another major earthquake.

School officials said that the auditorium at Embassy Residential College, at 851 S. Grand Ave., has been closed since last month’s earthquake because of structural damage, but that engineers had said apartments in the 10-story structure were safe for occupancy. Further investigation completed last week, however, found potential problems with residential corridor walls during an earthquake near or centered in Downtown.

As a precaution, USC officials hired a moving firm to pack up the students, who pay $518 a month for a single room. Their relocation should be complete by next Monday.

About 68 students and faculty adviser Kevin Starr, professor of urban and regional planning, will be housed on two floors of the University Hilton, across from the campus. The rest will be sent to the Sierra Apartments, university-owned housing off Portland Avenue. The relocation, which will last through the end of classes in May, will cost USC at least $200,000.

USC bought the historic building--it is the original concert hall of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a place where evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson held services--in 1987. School officials said they do not know how much it will cost to reinforce the walls or when the work will be done.