After the Fires: What Remains
A month after the disastrous fires in the Los Angeles area, this special episode features a conversation among Save As co-hosts Trudi Sandmeier and Cindy Olnick, and producer Willa Seidenberg. Trudi reflects on the loss of her historic family home, her close-knit neighborhood, and the Will Rogers ranch, an integral part of her and her family’s lives. We discuss the city’s current state of grief and bewilderment, the understandable rush to rebuild along with the need to plan thoughtfully, and how we must focus not just on what we’ve lost, but what remains.
Trudi’s grandfather Emil Sandmeier, c. 1930. Emil was Will Rogers’ right-hand man at the ranch; he and his wife Trudy admired the Rogers so much they named their son (Trudi’s father) Roger. Photo courtesy of the Sandmeier Family. 
Original plan for the Sandmeier family home in Pacific Palisades, built by Trudi’s grandparents in 1933. Photo courtesy of the Sandmeier Family. 
The Sandmeier house under construction in Pacific Palisades, 1933. Photo courtesy of the Sandmeier Family. 
Early view of the Sandmeier family home, featuring Trudi’s grandmother (and namesake) Trudy. Photo courtesy of the Sandmeier Family. 
Trudi Sandmeier’s family home after the Palisades fire, January 2025. Photo by Trudi Sandmeier. 
Hilltop view of the Will Rogers ranch c. 1925. Photo from USC Libraries and the California Historical Society. 
Will Rogers. Photo from Will Rogers Ranch Foundation. 
Will Rogers ranch house in 1980. Photo by Roy Hankey, Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection. 
The Will Rogers ranch house after the Palisades fire, January 2025. Photo from California State Parks. 
Historic stables at the Will Rogers ranch. Photo from Will Rogers Ranch Foundation. 
Interior, historic stables at the Will Rogers ranch. Photo by Larry Underhill. 
Historic stables at the Will Rogers ranch after the fire, January 2025. Photo from Will Rogers Ranch Foundation. 
The Bunny Museum in Altadena, 2021. Photo by Suiren2022 on Wikimedia Commons. 
The Bunny Museum after the Eaton fire, January 2025. Photo from Los Angeles County, Wikimedia Commons. 
Early view of cottages in Janes Village, Altadena. Photo from Pasadena Heritage on Facebook. 
The Andrew McNally House in Altadena, c. 1900. Photo courtesy USC Libraries and California Historical Society. 
The Andrew McNally House in Altadena after the Eaton fire, January 2025. Photo from Los Angeles County, Wikimedia Commons
SHARE:
Learn More
Disaster Relief for L.A. County Fires, Los Angeles Conservancy – confirmed losses, fire impact form, call for professionals,
aggregated resources for property owners and businesses, related links
Healing the Heart of L.A., FORT: LA – panel recording, story collection, design competition, In Memoriam film
Conservation Association of Los Angeles – call for conservators, Instagram Live Q&As
@yourneighborhoodmuseum, forms for those needing or offering housing, grants and
other resources
AIA/LA: Los Angeles Wildfire Task Force
Los Angeles Guide to Assisting Residents Rebuild
Your Hosts
Co-host Trudi Sandmeier is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director of Graduate Programs in Heritage Conservation, and Professor of Practice at the USC School of Architecture. Her work centers on the conservation of the recent past and the impact of under-recognized communities on the historic built environment. Read more in her USC faculty bio.
Co-host Cindy Olnick serves as both Associate Director of Heritage Conservation at USC and a communications consultant for heritage conservation, historic preservation, and the built environment. Read more in her USC faculty bio.
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 is the author of 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. She is currently working on a podcast based on A Matter of Conscience.
