 Prior to this development, USC's campus had largely consisted of several neo-Renaissance buildings surrounded by city streets and 27 donated U.S. Army barracks buildings which had been converted for classroom, office, and housing space by the university.Lazzaro was personally responsible for one of USC's most iconic features, the placement of a globe atop the Von KleinSmid Center Tower.Lazzaro had seen a similar globe during a visit to New York (built for the 1964 World Fair) and decided that the globe would be a perfect reflection of USC's increasing importance in a global world as well as Von KleinSmid's desire to have a distinctive memorial for his legacy.