Watts Towers in Los Angeles (USA) - 31 meter high towers with caps, ceramics and other unusual materials
Location show on map
1765 East 107th Street, Los Angeles, California 90002, USA
Date of build
1921 - 1955
Simon Rodia has been building his towers for 33 years alone, his house is surrounded by three tall and slender towers, a patio, a 38-foot tower called "Gazebo" , and another 28 feet high structure called "Ship of Marco Polo", including nine major structures.
The towers are made of stone, marble, steel and cement, as well as non-standard materials such as bottle caps, porcelain, broken glass or shells.
The glass used for construction is mostly green and comes from 7-up bottles, and blue glass comes from milk bottles, there is almost no transparent glass at all. .
The author of the construction site did not have any drills or welding machines. He put steel alone and connected it with rivets, and then hand-crafted with cement.
It was once taken into account its destruction, but ultimately the complex was recognized as significant for art and recognized as a national monument.
In 1994, the monument was partially damaged by an earthquake, then in the years 1995 - 2001 the towers underwent a thorough reconstruction.
The whole property of Rodia is surrounded by a wall, which the architect has done by himself.
Inside the house of Simon Rodia burned down in 1955, a year after Rodia died. The only thing left from the cottage is the front facade, the fireplace and the chimney.
The northern part of the wall contains many fascinating sculptures embedded in the wall, such as unicorns, horses and dolls. Interestingly, the wall is decorated on both sides, external and internal.
The total length of the northern and southern walls is over 300 feet.
Official website: http://www.wattstowers.org
" I meant to do something huge and I did." - Simon Rodia
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