Watts Towers of Simon Rodia Simon Rodia State Historic Park | |
California Historical Landmark No. 993 | |
 Watts Towers | |
     | |
| Location | 1765 E. 107th Street, Los Angeles, California 90002 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°56′19.46″N 118°14′27.77″W / 33.9387389°N 118.2410472°W |
| Built | 1921–1954 |
| Architect | Sabato Rodia |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000297 |
| CHISL No. | 993 |
| LAHCM No. | 15 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 13, 1977[3] |
| Designated NHL | December 14, 1990[4] |
| Designated CHISL | August 17, 1990[1] |
| Designated LAHCM | March 1, 1963[2] |
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The Watts Towers, Towers of Simon Rodia, or Nuestro Pueblo[5] ("our town" in Spanish) are a collection of 17 interconnected sculptural towers, architectural structures, and individual sculptural features and mosaics within the site of the artist's original residential property in Watts, Los Angeles, California, United States. The entire site of towers, structures, sculptures, pavement and walls were designed and built solely by Sabato ("Simon" or "Sam") Rodia (1879 or 1886 to 1965),[6] an Italian immigrant construction worker and tile mason, over a period of 33 years from 1921 to 1954. The tallest of the towers is 99.5 feet (30.3 m).[7] The work is an example of outsider art (or Art Brut)[8] and Italian-American naïve art.[4][9]
The Watts Towers were designated a National Historic Landmark and a California Historical Landmark in 1990.[4][1] They are also a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, and one of nine folk art sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles. The Watts Towers of Simon Rodia State Historic Park encompasses the Watts Towers site.
- ^ a b "Watts Towers". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
- ^ Department of City Planning. "Designated Historic-Cultural Monuments". City of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
- ^ "National Register Information System – Watts Towers of Simon Rodia (#77000297)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Watts Towers". National Historic Landmark Quicklinks. National Park Service. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ Zabrodski, Sarah. "An Object Called Art". The Iris Art Stories. J. Paul Getty Trust. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Record Transcription Social Security Death Index". Find My Past. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ^ Whiteson, Leon (1989). The Watts Towers of Los Angeles. London: Mosaic Press. ISBN 0-88962-394-5.
- ^ Shatkin, Elina. "Watts Towers: The Story of an LA Icon". Discover Los Angeles. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ Goldstone, Arloa Paquin (June 18, 1990). "The Towers of Simon Rodia". National Register of Historic Places Registration. National Park Service. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.