Category: Episodes

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December 2, 2021

Season 2, Episode 5

Culture, Community, and the Holiday Bowl

In 2003, the majority of the beloved Holiday Bowl in L.A.’s Crenshaw district was demolished. Although the bowling alley–a big box profoundly important to the community–was lost, the coffee shop–a Googie gem designed by Armet and Davis–remains standing and is now a Starbucks. Today’s guest Katie Horak analyzed the efforts to save the Holiday Bowl in her 2006 thesis. Listen as Katie reflects on her research, how times have changed in terms of valuing cultural significance, and why communities should tell their own stories. Now a leader in our field, she’s come back to USC as a teacher, inspiring the next generation of heritage conservationists.

November 18, 2021

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Season 2, Episode 4

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Oakwood and the “Racing of Space” in Venice

At the turn of the last century, Black entrepreneur Arthur L. Reese convinced developer Abbot Kinney to hire Black workers for Kinney’s seaside resort and amusement park, Venice of America. Reese had a hard time recruiting Blacks to the area because, even though Venice was one of the few neighborhoods without racially restrictive covenants, no one would rent or sell to them. Thus was born the Black ethnic enclave of Oakwood, formed through de facto racial separation, or the “racing of space.” In this episode, alum Rita Cofield delves into Oakwood’s rich history, from the effects (positive and negative) of spatial segregation to the tangible and intangible evidence that remains–yet now faces erasure through rampant gentrification.

November 4, 2021

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Season 2, Episode 3

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Fictional History: Recognizing TV and Film Locations

Should the Brady Bunch House be in the National Register of Historic Places? Why not? asks alum Jonathan Kaplan. In his master’s thesis, the TV writer-turned-heritage conservationist makes a case for designating sites specifically for their use in movies and TV shows. Along with literary precedent dating back to Chaucer, Jonathan cites the deep meaning and shared cultural experiences these places create. There’s a reason the Christmas Story House is one of the top tourist attractions in Cleveland.

If a place inspires meaning, does it matter where that meaning comes from? Does reality matter in these fact-fluid times? Join us for a fascinating conversation that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For many, many more examples, check out Jonathan’s thesis, From Ramona to the Brady Bunch: Assessing the Historical Significance of Sites Used in Movies and Television Shows.

October 21, 2021

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Season 2, Episode 2

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Old Pasadena’s Act Two

As a teenager, Ingrid Peña saw a struggling part of Pasadena morph into the poster child for the revival of historic business districts in Southern California. Little did she know that years later, she’d revisit this period for her USC master’s thesis, Saving Old Pasadena: Where Locals Took on City Hall and Won. The story of Old Pasadena is the story of the early days of the SoCal preservation movement, the extraordinary effort it takes to breathe new life into an entire commercial district, and how the work never really ends. Hear all this and more from Ingrid, from her firsthand experience to the many details she uncovered in her research.

October 7, 2021

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Season 2, Episode 1

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Yettem: A Garden of Eden in Armenian California

How do you preserve the heritage of a place you have to leave? Find out from Ani Mnatsakanyan, who just completed her master’s thesis on the Central Valley town of Yettem. Armenian for “Garden of Eden,” Yettem is a tiny town with a huge impact. Learn how it came to be, how it helped Armenians rebuild their lives after fleeing genocide, and how heritage can both reflect and transcend the physical environment.

May 13, 2021

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Season 1, Episode 15

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These Walls CAN Talk: Heritage and Hope at the Mafundi Building in Watts

As L.A.’s Watts neighborhood reeled from the 1965 Rebellion against systemic injustice, Black architects and civil rights activists Art Silvers and Robert Kennard designed a place of healing and hope. The Watts Happening Cultural Center opened in 1970 as the home of the Mafundi Institute (“mafundi” is Swahili for artisans or craftspeople), which provided a vital creative outlet for self-expression and Black empowerment. Now widely known as the Mafundi building, this Late Modern gem is a rare symbol of art and culture with an uncertain future.

USC’s Materials Conservation class studied the building this term, using pandemic workarounds to assess everything from the windows to the coffee shop’s collection. Join us for a humdinger of a season finale about the Mafundi building’s history, significance, condition, and precarious situation. Learn about the class project from instructor Peyton Hall, FAIA and students Arabella Delgado, Emi Takahara, and Melissa Miller. And hear from alumna Rita Cofield, a lifelong community member and part of the grassroots preservation effort, about what this place means to the people of Watts and how you can help.

This episode is 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.

April 29, 2021

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Season 1, Episode 14

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Bunker Hill Refrain: Resurrecting a Lost Community

Bunker Hill looms large in the collective memory of Los Angeles. Once a tony enclave of Victorian homes, the downtown neighborhood became a vibrant and diverse community before being razed in the urban renewal/removal of the 1950s. Much has been made of the architectural loss. But who were, and what came of, the thousands and thousands of people displaced? A very cool USC project called Bunker Hill Refrain seeks to find out. High tech meets low tech in a vast effort to capture, map, and analyze data from a trove of 1930s WPA census cards. Coupled with oral histories, the data can help illuminate the social cost of urban renewal, inform more thoughtful planning going forward, perhaps even reconnect the community. Hear from students, faculty, and staff about how the project came about, how it works, and how you can get involved.

April 15, 2021

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Season 1, Episode 13

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Meet you at Lenchita’s

Alumna Sara Delgadillo grew up in the working class ethnic enclave of Pacoima in the San Fernando Valley. The heart of the community, the Van Nuys Boulevard commercial corridor, is home to several legacy businesses that serve as centers of community and cultural continuity. In this episode, journey with us to this corner of Los Angeles and see it through the eyes of a local. Hear about how growing up in Pacoima has influenced Sara’s path in life, in her studies, and in heritage conservation.

April 1, 2021

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Season 1, Episode 12

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Free to be Punjabi

The allure of abundant work and fertile soil drew many to California, and in particular, the rich rural areas of the state. Punjabi workers came in small numbers to Yuba City in the early 1900s, but after Indian independence in 1947 when Punjab was split in two, that trickle became a steady stream. Now this rural area known for its peach orchards is the heart of a vibrant South Asian Punjabi community, rich with traditions and culture.

In this episode, hear from alumna Deepeaka Dhaliwal about her family ties to the area and some of the sites she explored in her research for her thesis Yuba-Sutter: A Case Study for Heritage Conservation in Punjabi-American Communities.

March 18, 2021

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Season 1, Episode 11

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From Boom to Bust – L.A.’s Public Housing Legacy

In mid-century Los Angeles, public housing was designed to house the many workers flooding to the city seeking jobs in the booming industrial economy. Taking advantage of the climate, the various developments used the popular garden apartment model and employed some of the area’s most prominent architects. A lack of maintenance and serial disinvestment led to decline, and now these civic resources are deteriorated and under threat. With a strong background in affordable housing development, alumna Leslie-Anne Palaroan talks with Willa Seidenberg about the challenges and opportunities of considering public housing historic and the nexus between affordable housing and heritage conservation.