The Los Angeles Watts TowersThe Los Angeles Watts Towers
Title rated 0 out of 5 stars, based on 0 ratings(0 ratings)
Book, 1997
Current format, Book, 1997, , Available .Book, 1997
Current format, Book, 1997, , Available . Offered in 0 more formatsThe Watts Towers of Simon Rodia are one of the unique treasures of Los Angeles and the product of one man's obsession. Rodia, a poor Italian immigrant, settled in a sleepy railway junction south of downtown in 1921 and spent the next thirty-four years single-handedly assembling a frenzy of shapes and color. Rising to one hundred feet, the towers were built without machine equipment, scaffolding, bolts, rivets, welds - or plans!
Bud Goldstone, who knew Rodia personally, and Arloa Paquin Goldstone have worked to preserve the towers since 1959. They tell the exciting story of how the towers were first rescued from demolition by the City of Los Angeles itself and then saved from natural and man-made disasters. They present new biographical information about Rodia and his innovative techniques and discuss the towers as art, as architecture, and as a singular expression of urban culture in Southern California.
The Watts Towers, located in South-Central Los Angeles, are the monumental work of one man, Simon Rodia. One of only four National Historic Landmarks in Los Angeles, they are the subject of a joint conservation effort by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Drawing on previously unpublished biographical information, this historical documentary recounts the personal story of the elusive builder until his 1965 death, and provides a detailed look at the Towers themselves. Abundantly illustrated with color photos. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
The Watts Towers, located in south-central Los Angeles, are the monumental work of one man: Simon Rodia. Born in Ribottoli, Italy c. 1879, Rodia immigrated to the U.S. when he was about fifteen. In 1921, he purchased a triangular-shaped lot at the end of a dead-end L.A. street and over the
next thirty years he worked single-handedly--without machine equipment, scaffolding, bolts, rivets, welds, or drawing-board designs--to build the nine sculptures that constitute the Watts Towers.
This book recounts the story of Rodia and his creation, as well as the considerable history of the Watts area itself. Other chapters discuss Rodia's building techniques and materials, as well as the conservation efforts underway at the site. Visitors to the Towers and the armchair traveler alike
will enjoy this in-depth look at Rodia and his singular creation.
Bud Goldstone, who knew Rodia personally, and Arloa Paquin Goldstone have worked to preserve the towers since 1959. They tell the exciting story of how the towers were first rescued from demolition by the City of Los Angeles itself and then saved from natural and man-made disasters. They present new biographical information about Rodia and his innovative techniques and discuss the towers as art, as architecture, and as a singular expression of urban culture in Southern California.
The Watts Towers, located in South-Central Los Angeles, are the monumental work of one man, Simon Rodia. One of only four National Historic Landmarks in Los Angeles, they are the subject of a joint conservation effort by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Drawing on previously unpublished biographical information, this historical documentary recounts the personal story of the elusive builder until his 1965 death, and provides a detailed look at the Towers themselves. Abundantly illustrated with color photos. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
The Watts Towers, located in south-central Los Angeles, are the monumental work of one man: Simon Rodia. Born in Ribottoli, Italy c. 1879, Rodia immigrated to the U.S. when he was about fifteen. In 1921, he purchased a triangular-shaped lot at the end of a dead-end L.A. street and over the
next thirty years he worked single-handedly--without machine equipment, scaffolding, bolts, rivets, welds, or drawing-board designs--to build the nine sculptures that constitute the Watts Towers.
This book recounts the story of Rodia and his creation, as well as the considerable history of the Watts area itself. Other chapters discuss Rodia's building techniques and materials, as well as the conservation efforts underway at the site. Visitors to the Towers and the armchair traveler alike
will enjoy this in-depth look at Rodia and his singular creation.
Title availability
Find this title on
LINK+About
Contributors
Subject and genre
Details
Publication
- Los Angeles : Getty Conservation Institute : J. Paul Getty Museum, [1997], ©1997
Opinion
More from the community
Community lists featuring this title
There are no community lists featuring this title
Community contributions
There are no quotations from this title
There are no quotations from this title
From the community