The Watts Towers
2 ratings since posting on Wednesday, September 1, 2004
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in Everywhere
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Overall Rating  based on 2 ratings |
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The Watts Towers is an amazing place to visit, both for the Towers and grounds themselves, and for the context it sits in. Visiting this part of LA is a must for anyone interested in the human condition. Deep urban landscapes surround the area, trains pass the lot just as they always have, and the roar of the freeway and the airport is easily heard. Buildings and sidewalks decay, trash blows in the gutters and vacant buildings stand silent. Too many people on the sidewalks during the work day, more taverns than groceries, and not much else. The Towers seem organic, built as they are from concrete, shattered plates, cast off tile, slag, and all manner of broken china ware, materials reflecting the urban environment of the Towers. During the Watts riots in Los Angeles in 1965, the Towers were spared damage, though hundreds of buildings in the area were burned and destroyed. The Towers are a monument to the community which surrounds them. They are beautiful and graceful, solid and colorful, enduring and unexpected and not a little awesome. A must see. - Molly , posted 09/18/04 |
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 Located in south Los Angeles, in a community known as Watts, stands a monument to one man's spirit, ingenuity, and determination. Built single-handedly by Simon Rodia over a period of 33 years, the Watts Towers consists of nine major sculptural forms made of steel and covered with mortar embedded with pieces of ceramic tile, pottery shards, sea shells, and broken glass. The tallest tower is nearly 100 feet high and contains the longest slender column of reinforced concrete in the world. - Unsubscribed , posted 09/01/04 |
