num_pages: 120
description: The Watts Towers, located in south-central Los Angeles, are the monumental work of one man: Simon Rodia. Born in Ribottoli, Italy c. 1879, Rodia immigrated to the U.S. when he was about fifteen. In 1921, he purchased a triangular-shaped lot at the end of a dead-end L.A. street and over thenext thirty years he worked single-handedly--without machine equipment, scaffolding, bolts, rivets, welds, or drawing-board designs--to build the nine sculptures that constitute the Watts Towers.This book recounts the story of Rodia and his creation, as well as the considerable history of the Watts area itself. Other chapters discuss Rodia's building techniques and materials, as well as the conservation efforts underway at the site. Visitors to the Towers and the armchair traveler alikewill enjoy this in-depth look at Rodia and his singular creation.
language: English
title: The Los Angeles Watts Towers
titlecomplete: The Los Angeles Watts Towers (Conservation and Cultural Heritage Series)
genres: Art
ratings_count: 12
publisher: Oxford University Press