The Folk Art Masterpiece of the Watts Towers Inspired a Community to Build Up

Featured image credit: Levi Clancy

This city (and, by extension, this blog) is no stranger to incredible feats of folk art. We’ve seen it in structures like Rubel Castle, the Mosaic Tile House, Zorthian Ranch, and even, to some degree, the Sam Maloof House. We explored it in installations like the Old Trapper’s Lodge and Galleto Meadows sculptures. But none of these touch the resounding fame of our subject for today; a looming vision of an Italian immigrant who built upward and kept building upward… until he couldn’t. Today, we recognize the artist’s creation as the Watts Towers. But these spires weren’t always so revered.

The Life and Work of Sabato “Simon” Rodia

Photo credit: DameEdithDivine

During his lifetime, construction worker and artist Sabato “Simon” Rodia meticulously labored to bring the 17 interlocking Watts Towers to reality over the course of several decades. He referred to them by the more poetic title Nuestro Pueblo (Spanish for “our town”), but others have called them the Towers of Simon Rodia. Yet, as a landmark for and symbol of the Watts community, the Watts Towers name has eclipsed all others. 

In 1895, long before creating what many would regard as the country’s most well-known example of folk art, Rodia was a teenage immigrant, freshly arrived on U.S. soil from his small town of Serino, Italy. A series of adventures (and marriages) punctuated his travels across the country until 1909. That’s when, following one of his several divorces, he landed in Long Beach. 

While working in construction, he mastered a creative technique for laying thin-shell concrete, which he’d eventually employ in the Watts Towers. But along the way, he’s said to have contributed to such distinguished regional structures as the campus at UC Berkeley, the Bullock Wilshire building, and the Eastern Star Home (currently the Archer School for Girls). By 1920, he’d met his third wife, Carmen, and found a home in Watts beside which he would build his enduring folk art mecca. 

Aiming Skyward with the Watts Towers

Photo credit: Bjlee2020

From 1921 until 1954, Rodia labored almost daily on the seemingly aimless construction that would become the Watts Towers. He took on the endeavor with a remarkably little amount of preparation and a distinct lack of professional equipment. The project became a monument to the “just do it” slogan decades before Nike would champion it. 

Armed with only hand tools and strapped into a window washer’s security belt, Rodia would scale his creations, carrying his materials up in tool buckets and assembling each piece directly at the point of installation. The tallest of these towers eventually measured in at 99.5 feet. There was no plan and even less collaboration. Every day, Rodia would return to the towers and, with no assistance, immerse himself in his work. Wife number three ended up leaving him, a break that he credited to his obsessiveness with the project. 

How to Build a Folk Art Icon

To create the structures themselves, Rodia created a skeleton of scavenged steel rebar wrapped in metallic mesh. The exterior was coated in a unique thin-shelled concrete formula he’d devised himself. Rodia only accepted help from the neighborhood children who frequently brought him scraps of broken glass, tile, and pottery that the artist would then work into the concrete in decorative patterns. To meet his own need for materials, he’d also often take damaged pieces from Malibu Pottery (where he had been a long-term employee) and CALCO, a local clay products manufacturer and dealer. 

Photo credit: Levi Clancy

Yet, sifting through the origins of the towers’ materials is as thankless as it is futile. But the odd treasure has been found embedded in its concrete facades. Valuable Batchelder tiles have even made their way into the Watts Towers edifices. Those who know their vibrantly colored pottery manufacturers may also recognize fragments from:

  • Bauer
  • Fiesta
  • Harlequin
  • Metlox

Rodia favored milk of magnesia bottles for his preferred shade of blue glass and frequently chose glass soda bottles for his greens. He frequented the nearby Pacific Electric Railway right-of-way as his scavenging grounds, sometimes hoofing it the full stretch to Wilmington, nearly 20 miles away, all the while collecting anything that could be repurposed as building material. You can see the many miles Rodia walked in each shell and mirror fragment, each kaleidoscopic piece of pottery. They’re even in the two random grinding wheels conspicuously punctuating the towers. 

All Vision with No Plan

The Watts Towers are a convergence of coherence and meandering improvisation. Some art historians have theorized that Rodia was directly inspired by the gigli towers in Nola, Italy, but we’ll never know for sure. Regardless of forethought or influence, Rodia’s singular work of folk art stands as a remarkable contribution in its own right.  

Photo credits: InSapphoWeTrust

When Rodia wasn’t creating new additions to the Watts Towers Los Angeles site, he was reinforcing and perfecting the structures. At times, he’d rethink a piece, raze it, and start over again. Ultimately, he completed 17 distinct pieces of the project, including the three leading spires, a gazebo, and a vaguely schooner-like sculpture dubbed the “Ship of Marco Polo.” 

The Watts Towers Reach Too High

In 1954, Rodia endured a mild stroke that may have contributed to his shift away from the Watts Towers. While working on the project a short time afterward, he fell from his rigging, plummeting to the hard earth below. Though he wasn’t at a height to cause serious damage, the events no doubt shook the artist and his future plans for the construction. 

But Rodia had been dealing with more than health problems. He was in a constant battle with the city over permit processes that consistently threatened the future of the Watts Towers. The art had yet to build the iconic reverence it enjoys today, so it was also a frequent target for vandalism. Disillusioned and defeated, Rodia cut his losses. 

Photo credit: edk7

The next year, he abruptly gifted his property to a neighbor and moved nearly 400 miles north to live with his sister in Martinez. That Independence Day, a neighborhood mishap reduced the bungalow where the artist had formerly lived to ashes. Though the adjacent Watts Towers were unscathed, the city, fed up with what they deemed a looming monstrosity, called for the entirety of the Watts Towers site to be destroyed. 

Saving the Watts Towers from Los Angeles

Thankfully, the destruction moved at the speed of Los Angeles, allowing plenty of time for preservation efforts. These began in 1959 when actor Nicholas King and editor William Cartwright banded together to purchase the Watts Towers property from Rodia’s neighbor for the sum of $2,000. The city still staunchly opposed the structure and remained dead set on demolishing it. 

But wide-reaching acclaim for the Watts Towers built over the years since Rodia vacated the premises. Several of these preservationists united with King and Cartwright to establish the Committee for Simon Rodia’s Towers, a group devoted to the preservation of the folk art masterpiece. Eventually, the organization was able to persuade the city to permit an engineering assessment of the Watts Towers. 

Photo credit: Levi Clancy

On October 10, 1959, assessors determined that the Watts Towers could endure an impressive 10,000 pounds of lateral force. With these findings, the city was forced to relinquish its plans for demolition. In 1965, Rodia passed away in Martinez while the creation he’d left behind continued to tower defiantly into the skies over Watts. 

Stewardship and Preservation of Rodia’s Work

Until 1975, maintenance and upkeep of the Watts Towers Los Angeles site fell squarely on the combined shoulders of the Committee for Simon Rodia’s Towers. But the organization hoped to benefit from a gradual change of heart the city had over the years. So, that year, they expanded oversight of the Watts Towers land to include the City of Los Angeles until this stewardship passed to the state in 1978. 

Today, the Watts Towers are managed by the city’s Cultural Affairs Department. But the chances of demolition are slim to none. They earned prestigious designations as both a National Historic Landmark and a California Historical Landmark in 1990. It also boasts distinction as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and as one of only nine folk art pieces to make the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles. These are perhaps the most resilient building blocks of Rodia’s impressive work, ensuring the Watts Towers will continue delighting the community for decades to come. 

The Watts Towers as a Community Beacon

Photo credit: Miramaribelle (Watts Towers – Gloria Stuart, 1972)

Part of what makes the Watts Towers such an enduring attraction is their importance as a symbol of the Watts community. Historically, Watts became a largely black neighborhood because of segregationist guidelines in the 1940s that limited African Americans to living in specific areas. When the Watts Towers pushed above the underprivileged suburb with its vibrant, glittering spires defiantly reaching for the sun, they created a uniting symbol of the community’s spirit of perseverance. 

In addition, those who grew up in Watts remembered the towers fondly as a nostalgic landmark in an area largely forgotten by the powers that be. It speaks clearly that, when the Watts Riots exploded just a month after Rodia’s death, the Watts Towers Los Angeles property remained untouched. 

Investing in the Watts Community

In 1970, the official Watts Towers Art Center building opened on the site. Committed to representing art within the Watts community, the art center featured a rotating door of exhibits curated and maintained by the Committee for Simon Rodia’s Towers. They also served as docents, taking visitors on guided tours of Rodia’s masterpiece. 

Photo credit: Tom Marcello

Today, the Watts Towers Art Center continues serving the community along with the neighboring Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center building. The latter hosts community art courses for the youth and special needs members of the Watts neighborhood. Jazz legend Charles Mingus grew up in Watts and was said to have been moved by Rodia’s art as a child. 

The Watts Towers Prove Their Resilience

Rodia’s construction experience served the Watts Towers well. They admirably endured Long Beach’s disastrous 1933 earthquake, though the incident inspired the artist to further reinforce his work. Decades later, the structure made it through the other side of the 1994 Northridge earthquake with only minor damage.  

Despite the security of Rodia’s craftsmanship, the towers weren’t invincible to the elements. Decades of exposure to rainfall and arid heat have at times stripped distinctive pieces of colored pottery and glass from the tower’s concrete edifices. Volunteers work to preserve these fallen ornaments, which are eventually worked back into the towers during restoration efforts. 

Photo credit: Public Domain

In February 2011, a call to assess the structural integrity of Watts Towers was ordered upon a grant from the James Irvine Foundation awarded to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In the wake of the report, LACMA undertook a detailed restoration initiative officially beginning in 2017. The ambitious restoration was completed in November 2022, with the Watts Towers Los Angeles property once again opening to visitors. 

Planning Your Visit to the Watts Towers

To experience the Watts Towers, you need only visit the arts center information desk to purchase your ticket. Adult admission is a mere $7, while seniors over the age of 62 and children under 17 are admitted for $3. Children under the age of 13 enjoy free admission. However, the art center will only accept payment by cash or check. Currently, the Watts Towers are only accessible on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with volunteers taking lunch between 12:30 and 2 pm. Free onsite parking is available at 10624 Graham Avenue. 

As for Rodia’s legacy, his chosen name of Nuestro Pueblo was quickly relegated to the looming showers of the more popular “Watts Towers” moniker. But considering there’s debate on whether anyone actually called him “Simon” during his lifetime, we’re not certain this would be his most pressing concern. Besides, the Watts Towers name expresses more or less the same sentiment: a beacon of community where you can trust your neighbors to lift you up instead of knock you down. 

Senior Copywriter at JohnHart Real Estate | Website |  + posts

With a brand that says as much as JohnHart’s, Senior Copywriter Seth Styles never finds himself at a loss for words. Responsible for maintaining the voice of the company, he spends each day drafting marketing materials, blogs, bios, and agent resources that speak from the company’s collective mind and Hart… errr, heart.

Having spent over a decade in creative roles across a variety of industries, Seth brings with him vast experience in SEO practices, digital marketing, and all manner of professional writing with particular strength in blogging, content creation, and brand building. Gratitude, passion, and sincerity remain core tenets of his unwavering work ethic. The landscape of the industry changes daily, paralleling JohnHart’s efforts to {re}define real estate, but Seth works to maintain the company’s consistent message while offering both agents and clients a new echelon of service.

When not preserving the JohnHart essence in stirring copy, Seth puts his efforts into writing and illustrating an ongoing series entitled The Death of Romance. In addition, he adores spending quality time with his girlfriend and Romeo (his long-haired chihuahua mix), watching ‘70s and ‘80s horror movies, and reading (with a particular penchant for Victorian horror novels and authors Yukio Mishima and Bret Easton Ellis). He also occasionally records music as the vocalist and songwriter for his glam rock band, Peppermint Pumpkin.

About Seth Styles

With a brand that says as much as JohnHart’s, Senior Copywriter Seth Styles never finds himself at a loss for words. Responsible for maintaining the voice of the company, he spends each day drafting marketing materials, blogs, bios, and agent resources that speak from the company’s collective mind and Hart… errr, heart. Having spent over a decade in creative roles across a variety of industries, Seth brings with him vast experience in SEO practices, digital marketing, and all manner of professional writing with particular strength in blogging, content creation, and brand building. Gratitude, passion, and sincerity remain core tenets of his unwavering work ethic. The landscape of the industry changes daily, paralleling JohnHart’s efforts to {re}define real estate, but Seth works to maintain the company’s consistent message while offering both agents and clients a new echelon of service. When not preserving the JohnHart essence in stirring copy, Seth puts his efforts into writing and illustrating an ongoing series entitled The Death of Romance. In addition, he adores spending quality time with his girlfriend and Romeo (his long-haired chihuahua mix), watching ‘70s and ‘80s horror movies, and reading (with a particular penchant for Victorian horror novels and authors Yukio Mishima and Bret Easton Ellis). He also occasionally records music as the vocalist and songwriter for his glam rock band, Peppermint Pumpkin.

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