Simon Rodia Overview

Simon Rodia was born in Italy, and immgirated to California. In 1921 he moved to the small town of Watts and began working on a strange project that would consume the next thirty-four years of his life. Spending what little money he earned as a construction worker on cement and steel, he worked night and day on a creation that defies categorization. Watts Towers sits on a small triangular plot of land on a residential street near bus lines and train tracks. It consists of three tall towers, a gazebo, a ship and various smaller sculptures, surrounded by paths and benches and bounded by a low fence. The lot is only one tenth of an acre, but the tallest tower rises one hundred feet into the sky. The entire work is constructed of slender metal bars wrapped in concrete, and covered in a mosaic of broken glass, tiles, shells, rocks, and household goods that Rodia picked up off the streets and railroad tracks. It can be seen from a great distance and visitors can enter the patio and sit on the benches and steps.
The towers are often referred to as outsider or folk art, because Rodia never had formal training in art or engineering. This is not to suggest that he was unskilled or amateur in his methods. On the contrary, his building techniques were very innovative. The towers survived many earthquakes and the Watts Rebellion to become an emblem of the community.