Watts Towers

Los Angeles, California

In the Watts district of Los Angeles stands one of the most amazing accomplishments in the history of individual eccentricity. Working alone and with only the most primitive of equipment, Simon (Sam) Rodia built his towers over a period of 33 years (1921 to 1954). The construction materials were scrap steel pipes and bars, coated with mortar and decorated with "found objects": tiles, glass and sea shells. The towers, the tallest of which is 100 feet, would be only the most conspicuous elements of what grew into a 17-structure collection of folk art. In 1955, fed up with vandalism and wild rumors about the towers, Rodia gave away the property and moved away, never to return; he died in 1965. With Rodia gone, the towers fell into neglect. At one point they were actually condemned and ordered demolished, but a structural test was held and failed to even budge the towers. So Rodia's work would survive, and would be preserved. The site was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1963, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and was dedicated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

Directions: 1711-1765 E. 107th Street. From Interstate 105 (Century Freeway), take Wilmington Avenue (exit 10) north for 1/2 mile, left on 108th Street, first right on Willowbrook Avenue, another first right on 107th Street. Tours are available per the schedule shown in the last photo above, but the towers can be easily seen from outside the fence at any time. The Watts Towers Arts Center is located in the same park.

Last visited: March 2011.

Standard disclaimer: Sites are described for entertainment purposes only, as they were at the time of my last visit. I can not vouch for the current condition of the site or its accessibility.