Watts Towers

Carol M. Highsmith, photographer. Part of Watts Towers, a collection of structures and art in the low-income Watts section of Los Angeles, California. 2013. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, 2013631532.

In honor of the Oscars next weekend, and the odds on favorite for Best Picture, La La Land, I give you Watts Towers- L.A. ICON, La La Land scene stealer, and one of my favorite places I haven't had the pleasure of visiting (yet). 

​The story of Simon Rodia's monumental collection of steel towers (constructed 1921-54/55) has all of the plot twists of great literary fiction- from his novel methods of craftsmanship and solo engineering, to the site's eventual neglect and almost demolition, and finally, its ultimate preservation and now unquestionable place in the pantheon of L.A. art and architectural history- seriously, it's incredible.

​And you should know more about it. So go ahead and read about the Watts Towers, a National Historic Landmark, here, here, and here.

Enjoy and Happy Friday!