The Watts Towers is a striking example of the fact that in the city of mirrored skyscrapers the most interesting thing is not the skyscrapers, moreover, not at all mirrored, but assembled almost out of improvised materials. The assemblage of 17 towers up to 30 meters high reminds something of Gaudi’s futuristic constructions – which is not by chance: their creator Sabato Rodia was originally from Italy and managed to bring to Los Angeles sunny mood of his homeland.
A little history
Sabato Rhodia was born in Serino, Italy, and at the age of 15 he and his family moved to the USA. He spent his youth as an auxiliary worker, and in his maturity he was a quarry worker and a track-layer. In 1921 Rodia bought a plot of land on the then abandoned site on the outskirts of Los Angeles and began building a structure which he named Nuestro Pueblo (“our village”) in Spanish. It didn’t look like a village to Sabato’s neighbors, though: strange, twisting steel structures began to appear on the site, decorated with improvised materials: bottle tops, glass shards, ceramic tiles, and other stuff. It is clear that conservative provincials did not like the Italian emigrant’s exertions, so the creations were often broken. However, Rodia was not discouraged: “I wanted to build something big, and I’m going to do it.” So one of the city’s most recognizable monuments appeared on Los Angeles’ 107th Street.
It took 33 years to build Watts Towers, as Rhodia turned to creativity exclusively in his spare time.
In 1955, Rhodia finished erecting the towers, fell into a certain depression from the fact that people took little interest in his creation (and if they did, it was for the purpose of breaking something), assigned the site to a neighbor and left to live in another city. The structure gradually fell into disrepair until the Los Angeles City Hall decided to raze it to the ground. However, bohemians stood up for the towers: actors and directors bought the land and organized a public committee. In 1975 the towers were donated to Los Angeles, and three years later they were transferred to the state of California.
What to see
The Watts Towers are an example of futuristic architecture with a touch of ethno and naïve almost in the heart of Los Angeles. Seventeen structures of varying heights have romantic names (like “Marco Polo’s Ship”) and communicate with each other. Inside the towers are hollow, which allows you to examine the details of the supporting structures and marvel at the genius of this architect not by training, but by vocation. Particular attention should be paid to the details of the decorations of the towers: the supporting beams are shaped with wire, everywhere there is glass, tiles, ceramics, pieces of metal and shells. By the way, in search of the material Rodia walked more than 30 km on a rough terrain, looking carefully under his feet – that’s what passion means!
The Art Center, located next to the Watts Towers, hosts various exhibitions and cultural events, the schedule of which can be found in advance on the center’s website.