While the eccentric beauty of the Watts Towers—almost 100 feet high—dazzles the eye, the story behind it all tugs at a heart string or two. A semi-literate Italian immigrant, by the name of Simon Rodia, built the whole structure using only his bare hands and foraged materials. Using passing trains to bend the metal and broken 7-Up bottles to decorate the cement, it took him a whopping 33 years to complete the towers in 1954, but bear in mind, it was all done alone and in his spare time.
The towers are a shining example of what can be achieved against the odds, and not only symbolically, with a couple of affiliated arts centers also on site explaining the process in definite detail. Watts Towers have survived vandalism, demolition attempts and even riots, so take a tour to learn more about its colorful past and hopefully rosey future.
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While the eccentric beauty of the Watts Towers—almost 100 feet high—dazzles the eye, the story behind it all tugs at a heart string or two. A semi-literate Italian immigrant, by the name of Simon… read more
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