Watts Towers of Simon Rodia
Also known as: Towers of Simon Rodia
Why it's listed
Rising from a pie-shaped plot in South Central Los Angeles, eight hand-built towers and a decorated garden were made by Simon Rodia, an Italian immigrant who worked on them alone for 33 years, from 1921 to 1954. Two towers reach nearly 100 feet, and the rest average about 40 feet. Rodia built them from steel rods, pipes, wire and cement, then embedded shells, glass, tile and crockery in the surface. A scalloped wall encloses a garden of fountains, pavilions and patterned paving. Rodia drew on his earlier work as a tile setter and telephone lineman. The nomination describes the towers as a leading example of twentieth-century folk art and compares them to the work of Antonio Gaudi. In the late 1950s the city ordered them demolished, but a load test using force comparable to a hurricane left the towers standing, and the city agreed to keep them as part of a community center.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the towers as an internationally recognized work of folk art, architecture and sculpture, built by one man without help. It notes the unusual materials, which include steel, cement, shells, glass and scrap, and compares the work to Gaudi's. It also records the successful load test that saved the towers from a city demolition order in the late 1950s.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 77000297, listed April 13, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1765 E. 107th St., Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | April 13, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77000297 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1921-54 |
| Architect / builder | Simon Rodia |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, European, Art |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated December 14, 1990 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and patrolled, publicly owned by the City of Los Angeles, and used as a museum; the condition checkbox is not legible in the text. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.93874, -118.24113 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 77000297.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q445256
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.