Heritage Hall, which sits in the middle of the University of Southern California campus, houses the University’s athletic department and celebrates the glorious Trojan athletic heritage. USC has produced 361 Olympic athletes, won 106 national team championships and developed 50 NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients.

Originally 48,000 square feet and built at a cost of $2.8 million, the 3-level brick and concrete colonnaded building opened in 1971. Heritage Hall was designed by Grillias, Savage and Alves of Santa Ana, Calif. Myers Brothers Construction Company, Inc., of Los Angeles was the general contractor. Initial construction began in Feb. 5, 1970. It has been expanded three times: in 1984 (a 6,000-square foot addition to the weight room), in 1992 (a 13,500-square foot expansion that houses the Academic Resource Center) and in 1998 (a 3,000-square foot addition to the Jess Hill Weight Room). Heritage Hall is located close to USC’s various athletic practice and competition on-campus facilities.

Between the north and south wings on the building’s ground level are some of USC’s numerous athletic trophies, including various NCAA team championships, 7 Heisman Trophies and the jerseys of Troy’s winners (Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush), swimmer John Naber’s Sullivan Award, Angela Williams' Honda-Broderick Cup and updated displays honoring recent successful Trojan athletes. There are also busts of USC athletic directors Willis O. Hunter and Jess Hill, football coaches Howard Jones and John McKay, and track coach Dean Cromwell, as well as one of actor John Wayne (who played football at USC in the 1920s under his real name, Marion Morrison). Wall plaques acknowledge special financial contributors to the USC athletic program. The north wing houses a 200-seat auditorium and a formal lounge, while some coaches and administrators have offices in the south wing. A patio area extends outside to the west (placed in the patio floor are plaques commemorating the members of USC’s Athletic Hall of Fame).

Heritage Hall’s upper level is the home to many administrative and coaches’ offices (located on the south “Jess Hill Wing” and north “John McKay Wing,” respectively). The Honors Rail, which encircles the open-air foyer above the first floor lobby, has bronze medallions saluting every Trojan who won an Olympic gold medal, captured an NCAA individual championship or was named a first team All-American in an NCAA sport in which there are no individual champions (i.e. football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, water polo). Also on the second floor are busts of USC football running backs Morley Drury (“The Noblest Trojan of Them All”) and Ricky Bell. Like on the ground floor, tucked in alcoves on both ends of this floor are other athletic trophies and team displays.

The underground lower level of Heritage Hall houses various locker rooms, plus the equipment room, medical training room, the Jess Hill Weight Room, and the McAlister Academic Resource Center (which features tutoring, counseling, study and computer rooms for USC’s student-athletes).

Because of space limitations, USC’s golf, swimming, water polo and women's soccer coaches are located in the nearby Kennedy Aquatics Building, while the baseball staff has offices at Dedeaux Field (the baseball stadium),the track and field staff has offices in Loker Stadium and the men's and women's basketball and volleyball staffs have offices in the Galen Center.

Outside the northwest corner of Heritage Hall, the $3-million Galen Center--a popular sports-themed dining and activity center--opened in early 1999.

The USC football team practices at nearby Howard Jones Field, which was expanded in the fall of 1998 to include Brian Kennedy Field. In early 1999, Goux's Gate--named after the late popular long-time former assistant coach Marv Goux--was erected at the entrance to the practice field.

USC's other on-campus athletic facilities include the McDonald's Swim Stadium (site of the 1984 Olympic swimming and diving competition), Marks Tennis Stadium, Cromwell Track and Field (which includes the 3,000-seat Katherine B. Locker Stadium), the McAlister Soccer Field, the 1,500-seat Lyon Center (a campus recreation center which hosts some Trojan intercollegiate events) and the Physical Education Building (housing the 1,000-seat North Gym).

The 10,000-seat, $147-million on-campus Galen Center (and adjoining practice facility), completed in August of 2006,is the new home to the Trojan basketball and volleyball teams, as well as the site of various cultural events.