Last weekend, with Lauren in town, I wanted to do something very cool, very LA, yet not lame. I have wanted to go to Watts Towers for sometime, but never really got my act together and with Lauren in town, it seemed like a good reason for us both to go.
The Watts Towers is certainly one of the most unique pieces of art/architecture I have ever seen. I thought a lot about my trip to Park Guell in Barcelona when wondering through the property, but this was much different, largely because the towers were built entirely by one man, Simon Rodia. Rodia worked construction jobs during the day, but on the evenings and weekends, he scoured his neighborhood for odds and ends and built an incredible series of towers and objects out of mosaic tiles, glass, pottery, shells, and his own mortar.
He never used any modern tools, no scaffolding, no bolts, no rivets, no welding. The man was truly a visionary. The arts center offers tours on the hour for $5. It is money well spent. Our tour guide was excellent and they let you roam the grounds after the tour is over.
Last October, the LA Times had a piece on the Towers and the challenges it faces now. Read it here.
The Watts Towers of Simon Rodia is located at 1761-1765 East 107th Street.
More Watts Towers images after the jump . . .
parc guell--barca 2005 baby
Posted by: joel | March 02, 2006 at 05:59 PM
it is so beautiful
i like it
Posted by: abercrombie and fitch london | July 12, 2010 at 11:57 PM