[Update] Heritage and Hope at the Mafundi Building in Watts

After the Watts Rebellion of 1965, Black architects Art Silvers and Robert Kennard designed a Late Modern building for the Mafundi Institute, a cultural organization. The Watts Happening Cultural Center opened in 1970 as a place of creative expression, community, and healing. The popular Watts Coffee House has called the building home for decades. Now commonly called the Mafundi Building, this neighborhood treasure needs some TLC and new programming by and for the community.

We featured the Mafundi Building in Season 1, when it faced demolition and USC Materials Conservation students used it as their case study. MHC alum Rita Cofield, a lifelong community member and longtime champion of the building, joined us for the first episode. Now executive director of Friends at Mafundi and Project Leader of the Getty’s African American Historic Places Los Angeles initiative, Rita returns with an update on exciting developments. We follow the update with the original episode. This is a long one, but stick with it—you’ll be glad you did.

The original episode was dedicated to the memory of Jerome Robinson—scholar, MHC alumnus, and friend—pictured at Disneyland Paris in 2017 with Save As co-host Trudi Sandmeier.

Want to know more about some of the ideas and places mentioned in this episode? Check out:

Friends at Mafundi – sign up for emails (bottom of page) for updates

MHC Alumna Rita Cofield Keeps the Spirit of Mafundi in Watts, USC News

Getty Conservation Institute, African American Historic Places Los Angeles

Friends at Mafundi Change.org petition

An Odyssey in B-Flat: Rediscovering the Life and Times of Master Architect Robert Kennard, 2018 master’s thesis by Jerome Robinson

The Watts Prophets

Wattstax

Faculty Member Peyton Hall, FAIA Endows Heritage Conservation Scholarship Fund, USC News

USC Master of Heritage Conservation program

Episode Guests

	Peyton Hall, FAIA is a nationally recognized expert in heritage conservation. As Principal Architect Emeritus of Historic Resources Group, he has guided the conservation of hundreds of historic places, including many of Southern California’s most cherished landmarks. Hall has taught in the USC Heritage Conservation Program since 2001. His Conservation Methods and Materials course provides a real-world laboratory, practical resources, and a spotlight for buildings in need of attention. Hall made a major gift in 2021 to establish the School’s first scholarship fund specifically for heritage conservation students. He has won many awards and served on many boards; he currently chairs the Preservation Committee of the Friends of the Rudolf M. Schindler House.
	Rita Cofield was raised in the Florence-Graham area of Southeast Los Angeles. She received her BA in Architecture and Planning from Howard University and her Master in Heritage Conservation from USC in 2021. She currently is Project Leader for the African American Historic Places Los Angeles initiative at the Getty Conservation Institute. She sits on the Board of Trustees of the California Preservation Foundation and is currently leading the charge, with the guidance of longtime community stakeholders, to revive the Watts Happening Cultural Center in Watts.
	Arabella Delgado is a Ph.D. student in American Studies and Ethnicity. Her research interests include critical heritage conservation, urban studies, Latinx studies, and the history of the U.S. West. Arabella is originally from El Paso, Texas and focuses on preservation projects along the U.S.-Mexico border.
	Emi Takahara is originally from San Francisco and has a background in food and art. She graduated from the USC Heritage Conservation Program in 2023. Before attending USC, she worked in materials conservation, specifically on immovable cultural property. She is interested in the intersection of food, community, and heritage conservation, especially in underrepresented communities in California. (Photo by William Short Photography.)
	Dr. Melissa Miller is a USC Master of Heritage Conservation graduate student as well as a faculty member for the USC Libraries. She serves primarily as a teaching and research academic librarian as head of the historic Hoose Library of Philosophy.  Her graduate research focuses on adaptive reuse strategies to help mitigate the issues of homelessness and social injustice.
	Podcast producer Willa Seidenberg taught audio journalism and podcasting at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, while pursuing a USC Master of Heritage Conservation degree. She retired from teaching and earned her degree in 2023. A 20-year broadcast journalist and an inaugural fellow with USC’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Willa founded Annenberg Radio News, the university’s radio news operation; and Intersections South LA, a reporting lab and community website for South Los Angeles. With photographer William Short, Willa created two oral history/photo projects: A Matter of Conscience: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War and Memories of the American War: Stories From Viet Nam.
	Podcast co-host Cindy Olnick originally interviewed the Arch 551 team about the Mafundi Building. Cindy is Associate Director of USC’s Heritage Conservation Program, as well as a communications consultant for heritage conservation and historic preservation.

Credits on About page