Season 1, Episode 9

Hometown Heritage in Compton

What comes to mind when you think of Compton? If it’s gangs and rap, think again. This small city is one of the oldest in L.A. County, with a history of agriculture, self-reliance, and resilience. It has a farm, a space-age civic center, the tennis court where Venus and Serena learned to play, and more (including, yes, cowboys). Compton’s history mirrors that of many cities across the U.S.; it just gained more notoriety thanks to groups like NWA.

In this episode, get the real scoop on Compton from one who knows: alum Camille Ora-Nicole, who grew up there and wrote her master’s thesis on it. Hear what Camille learned about her hometown, and how she thinks small cities should approach conservation, as we chat about her thesis, Conserving Compton: Identifying Potential Landmarks and Recommendations for Conservation.

February 4, 2021

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Season 1, Episode 8

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The Rancho Roots of Mission Viejo

How did a 1960s master-planned suburb use its century-old rancho heritage to form a new vernacular? The story of Mission Viejo spans so many issues–the founding families of modern Southern California, the transformation of our built environment, historical romanticism and cultural appropriation, the overlooked heritage of Orange County, and the need to preserve it. Recent alum Krista Nicholds shares with producer Willa Seidenberg tales from her thesis, The Enduring Romance of the Rancho: Mission Viejo, 1964 to 1967.

January 21, 2021

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Season 1, Episode 7

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Sisterhood Is Beautiful

In 1974, Brenda Weathers came across a century-old home in Pico-Union, an early Los Angeles neighborhood that had seen better days. She decided to use the rundown residence to help people like her: lesbians with alcoholism. Ever since, the Alcoholism Center for Women has served as a treatment center for women in recovery–most of them lesbian; many of them women of color, living in poverty and/or formerly unhoused. This sisterhood has faced more than the obvious challenges along the way, including an old-fashioned demolition threat with an eye-rolling resolution. In this episode, grad student Lindsay Mulcahy talks with co-host Trudi Sandmeier about the many facets of this fascinating story.

January 7, 2021

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Season 1, Episode 6

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Building Resilient Communities Through Conservation

Pandemics, climate change, natural disasters, inequity, the perils of urbanization: cities worldwide are working to build resilience against a steady stream of existential threats. Resilience planning may include protecting historic places, but it typically overlooks the role of heritage conservation in helping communities prepare for, and recover from, the hazards they face. How does telling a community’s full story make it more resilient? Who should be at the table to make sure resilience plans include places that define and unite neighborhoods? Recent graduate Kelsey Kaline Neighbors shares these and other insights from her master’s thesis, Mobilizing Heritage Conservation as a Tool for Urban Resilience.

December 24, 2020

sandmeie

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Season 1, Episode 5

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Heritage and Homelessness

How can heritage conservation help end homelessness? USC grad students in heritage conservation, architecture, and urban planning sought to find out. Using the city of Pasadena as their laboratory, the students and their instructor worked closely with Union Station Homeless Services and Pasadena Heritage. These partners came away with creative strategies and design concepts they can put to use right now, and that could serve as a model for other cities. The students came away with a deeper understanding of both homelessness and heritage conservation.

December 10, 2020

sandmeie

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Season 1, Episode 4

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Conserving L.A.’s Queer Eden(dale)

Los Angeles has a rich LGBTQ heritage that’s been largely hidden. Recent graduate Rafael Fontes talks with producer Willa Seidenberg about why sites of LGBTQ significance are relatively hard to find, research, and designate. He discusses three case studies from his master’s thesis, Gaining a Foothold: Conserving Los Angeles’ Queer Eden(dale): the Harry Hay Residence, The Black Cat, and the Tom of Finland House. Each site reflects a different aspect of the city’s LGBTQ history, as well as the complexities in its conservation.

November 26, 2020

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Season 1, Episode 3

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Preserving That Signature Sound

Have you ever considered sound a character-defining feature? Musician and recent USC grad Kasey Viso Conley certainly has. She knows why Nat King Cole, Janis Joplin, Van Halen, and countless other recording artists insisted on using specific studios to get a certain sound. It’s the physical environment of the studio, from acoustic tiles to echo chambers. Yet the transformation of recording technology has studios closing left and right. Why save these places when you can simulate their sounds at home with a digital plugin? How do you preserve pegboard that’s no longer made? Hear how Kasey explored these issues and many more in her thesis, Acoustic Heritage of Recording Studios: Physical Characteristics and Signature Sound.

November 12, 2020

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Season 1, Episode 2

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Traces of Violence in the City of Angels

In this year of racial reckoning, our first Save As interview explores sites of violence against people of color. Recent graduate Jackson Loop talks with producer Willa Seidenberg about the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots, the 1969 police raid on the Black Panthers’ L.A. headquarters, and the 1992 uprising surrounding the vicious beating of Rodney King. Examining sites associated with these events underscores systemic flaws in the current, top-down process of preservation–as well as solutions emerging from the ground up. Why is it important to remember painful history, and how can we do it when the physical presence is erased?

October 29, 2020

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Season 1, Episode 1

Posted in Episodes, and Season 1

A Glimpse into the Future

Racial violence. Urban resilience. Acoustic heritage. Heritage conservation students at the University of Southern California are tackling some of the most important and innovative issues in the field, and we’re bringing their groundbreaking work to you. In this inaugural episode of Save As, the dynamic duo of Trudi Sandmeier and Cindy Olnick discuss how the podcast came about and what you can look forward to over the coming months. You’ll get a glimpse of a glimpse of the future of heritage conservation–new ways of thinking about what we save, why we save it, and for whom.

Category: Episodes

Hometown Heritage in Compton

The Rancho Roots of Mission Viejo

Sisterhood Is Beautiful

Building Resilient Communities Through Conservation

Heritage and Homelessness

Conserving L.A.’s Queer Eden(dale)

Preserving That Signature Sound

Traces of Violence in the City of Angels

A Glimpse into the Future