The press box at the revamped Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will be named in honor of Otis Booth in recognition of a $7.5 million gift from the late newspaper executive’s foundation.
“The Booth Foundation has been a steadfast supporter to USC Athletics in recent years and its continued generosity speaks to the strength of its confidence in us,” USC President C.L. Max Nikias said. “We are grateful to the foundation, and its choice of naming the new press box to honor Franklin Otis Booth Jr., is nothing less than a perfect match, given the family’s strong ties to Los Angeles.”
USC, which has been a tenant since the historic stadium opened in 1923, plans to spend $270 million to renovate and restore the facility. The work is set to begin after the 2017 Trojan football season and be completed for the 2019 home opener.
Every seat in the stadium will be replaced, adding more aisles and leg room. A new structure on the south side of the Coliseum will house suites, loge boxes and club seats, topped by the new press box.
The Otis Booth Foundation is a legacy of the late Franklin Otis Booth Jr., a successful newspaper executive, rancher and investor whose great- grandfather, General Harrison Gray Otis, founded the Los Angeles Times.
“The Otis Booth Foundation is proud to once again support USC in the renovation of one of the most iconic landmarks in the United States,” said Palmer Murray, vice president of the Otis Booth Foundation. “The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has a special place in history and we felt this was a wonderful opportunity to honor Otis’ legacy, as he so passionately supported the city of Los Angeles.”
Three years ago, the foundation gifted $5 million to fund a USC-led community outreach program staffed by student-athlete volunteers.
–City News Service