Walk around and wonder at WATTS TOWERS
Sabato (Simon) Rodia, an immigrant from Italy, started this backyard project in 1921. He spent 33 years putting up Watts Towers, using rebar, concrete, castoff tiles, bottle caps and bits of colored glass. The resulting 99-foot-tall landmark — built by an Italian American laborer who never really explained himself and surrounded by a blue-collar community that’s mostly Latino and Black — may be the most celebrated act of recycling California has ever seen. The landmark is partially under scaffolding but still rewarding to visit.
Part of the towers’ mystique is the mystery of what Rodia was thinking. He handed the deed to a neighbor and walked away in 1954. He died in 1965. Since then his towers have survived recurring neglect and incompetence by public agencies, followed by more careful restoration in recent years. The towers have inspired many local children to pursue creative careers (including celebrated assemblage artist Betye Saar, jazz great Charles Mingus and rapper-philanthropist Nipsey Hussle). The site now is protected as a state historic park and neighbored by a community arts center. The area inside the triangular property’s walls is closed indefinitely for restoration work, but you can see plenty from outside the fence. If you can get there on a Thursday or Friday, there are free, guided half-hour tours from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
BONUS TIP: To learn more about Black culture in South Los Angeles and beyond, head to the California African American Museum in Exposition Park (eight miles north of the towers).