Watts Towers of Simon Rodia
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. Masterpiece of folk art.
Details
- Where
- 1727 East 107th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90002. Directions
- When
- Beginning July 8, 2026, the Watts Towers Arts Center Campus (WTACC) will reopen to the public following a temporary closure during the month of June.
- Getting there
- Free on-site parking at 10624 Graham Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90002.
- Fees
- General $12.00; seniors 62+ and college with student ID $6.00; youth 17 & under free.
- Hours
- Guided tours Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 11:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 2:30 PM and 3:00 PM; closed to the public Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday.
- Access
- The only way to enter the gates of the Watts Towers is by purchasing a ticket for a 30-minute guided tour.
- Walk-in or reserve
- No reservations for individuals, groups, or organizations; tickets at the Arts Center office first-come, first-served.
- Phone
- 213-847-4646
- Website
- wattstowers.org
- Managed by
- Watts Towers Arts Center Campus.
The Watts Towers is a masterpiece of folk art; the only public access is a guided tour, with rotating exhibitions at the Watts Towers Arts Center.
Notable Events
- 1921Rodia, first on public record in Long Beach in 1918, bought the property where his Towers now stand. npgallery.nps.gov
- 1921The west tower, begun in 1921, contained the longest reinforced concrete columns in the world upon its completion. parks.ca.gov
- 1950sThe City declared the Towers unsafe and ordered them torn down; a committee formed to preserve them, and a structural load test later proved them sound. npgallery.nps.gov
- 1954Rodia gave the property to a neighbor and moved to Martinez, California, where he had relatives; he never returned to Watts. npgallery.nps.gov
- 1955Rodia's house burned a year after he left; only the decorated front facade, posts and the fireplace remain. npgallery.nps.gov
- 1959The International Conference of Museum Curators resolved that Rodia's Towers were the paramount work of folk art of the 20th century in the United States. wattstowers.org
- 1961The Arts Center, curator and guardian of the Towers, began when Lucile Krasne taught the first classes on the foundation of Rodia's burned-down home. wattstowers.org
- 1965Rodia died, having spoken out only once about his Towers, after a film of his work was shown in Berkeley. npgallery.nps.gov
- 1965The Watts Towers were officially designated Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Monument Number 15. wattstowers.org
- 1975The City of Los Angeles agreed to accept the Towers as a gift and maintain them as part of a community center. npgallery.nps.gov
- 1977The Towers of Simon Rodia were entered in the National Register of Historic Places. npgallery.nps.gov
- 1978The City turned the Towers' ownership over to the State, while the City's Cultural Affairs Department continued to administer the property. npgallery.nps.gov
- 2016California State Parks' Cultural Resources Division submitted the Tentative List form for Watts Towers to the National Park Service. parks.ca.gov
People
- Bud Goldstone, aeronautical engineer who devised the structural load test that saved the Towers.
- Rosie Lee Hooks, Watts Towers Arts Center Director.
- Lucile Krasne, taught the first classes of the Watts Towers Arts Center (1961).
- Nicholas King, member of the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts, owners of the Towers at the time of the Cultural Heritage Monument designation.
- Sabato "Simon" Rodia, builder of the Watts Towers (born 1879; came to Watts 1921).
- Seymour Rosen, member of the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts, owners of the Towers at the time of the Cultural Heritage Monument designation.
- William Cartwright, member of the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts, owners of the Towers at the time of the Cultural Heritage Monument designation.