Residents take pride in the site’s renown and appreciate that it is one of the few gang-neutral places in Watts. But the towers stand amid a sea of featureless concrete, hot and bare.
wanted to do something big.” Until the day he walked away from his masterpiece 33 years later, neither neigh- bors nor city officials quite knew what to make of his extravagant creation. Fashioned of bent steel bars and mortar joined together without a single bolt or weld, the towers are flanked with walkways, fountains, tiny plazas, and a gazebo. The whole installation is encrusted with seashells, bits of brilliant pottery, and shards of broken glass that glitter in the Southern California sun. In the decades since Rodia left Watts, bafflement
over his legacy has continued. In 1957, after the land had changed hands several times, the city declared the towers a hazard and ordered them destroyed. Thanks to the efforts of a group of loyal and vocal admirers, how- ever, the artworks were saved and, in 1978, deeded to the state of California. By 1985, when the Watts Towers were named a National Historic Landmark, they had gained worldwide acclaim. Today the towers and surrounding artworks are part of a state historic park. Residents take pride in the site’s renown and appreci-
ate that it is one of the few gang-neutral places in Watts, a community troubled by gang violence. But the towers stand amid a sea of featureless concrete, hot and bare, with few places to sit and little to do. Residents say they long for a park that pays homage to the international landmark and also serves as a gathering space for the district’s 35,000 people. “There are many communities that have a stake in the Watts Towers—the residents, the city, the nation, as well as the international arts commu- nity,” says Luisa Del Giudice, founder and director of the L.A.-based Italian Oral History Institute and a leading expert on the sculptures. “It is a heritage site, like the Washington Monument or the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hollywood Sign. The park that is built—one hopes it will reflect that.” But specific plans for a park have produced years of
tension. In 2009 the Tony Hawk Foundation offered a $350,000 grant for a skateboard park at the site. City
Parks for People, by the People Feature Title 39
Trust for Public Land staff distribute literature at a community barbecue. JONATHAN ALCORN
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80