USC has purchased a multi-story building owned by the Doheny Eye Institute, providing additional university-owned research and treatment space at a key location on the Health Sciences Campus.

The 150,000-square-foot building at 1450 N. San Pablo St., called Healthcare Center 4 or HC4, is adjacent to Keck Hospital of USC.

“The purchase of HC4 marks an important acquisition for Keck Medicine of USC,” said Tom Jackiewicz, senior vice president and CEO of Keck Medicine of USC. “We can now ensure that our clinical practices will have a permanent home, allowing our talented physicians, nurses and staff to provide exceptional care services to the community far in the future.”

Prior to the sale, USC had leased space inside the building for clinical practices and faculty offices, including the USC Gayle and Edward Roski Eye Institute, which has consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally in U.S. News and World Report’s annual “Best Hospitals” issue for more than 22 years.

“The acquisition of HC4 is an important milestone in the continued growth of Keck Medicine,” said Rohit Varma, MD, MPH, dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC and director of the USC Roski Eye Institute. “The integration of this building into our medical enterprise will greatly benefit our clinical, research and educational missions.”

The building purchase comes as work continues on a series of construction and beautification projects transforming the 79-acre Health Sciences Campus into an oasis of medical research and health care.

The Norris Healthcare Center, a modern multi-story facility under construction at the corner of Alcazar and San Pablo streets, will open in Fall 2017. In February, USC President C. L. Max Nikias also announced that planning and fundraising would begin for a new hospital on the Health Sciences Campus with construction underway as soon as 2020.

— Douglas Morino