Talk:Watts Towers

Shukhov Tower
Look at the similarity between the Watts Tower and this radio tower which was built roughly at the same time. Accountable Government 00:50, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

The introduction should discuss whether the towers are artistic, architectural, utilitarian, etc. (What are they?)

An act of love from what I understand, a rumor in L.A. was that Rodia built them as a monument to his wife who had passed away, but I'm not sure if that is verifiable. I think some people have called this kind of work "naive" art but I'm uncertain if that applies, perhaps we need a new term for this kind of work. AnimalNorth (talk) 09:23, 14 March 2010 (UTC)


 * There are existing wikipedia articles for Naive art and Outsider art. The Watts Towers are an example of both. Rodia himself said that he buried his wife on the property where the towers are, but this has never been corroborated. He was married once, to Lucy (mother of his three children), who filed for divorce in 1907. The divorce was granted in 1912. He wasn't even in L.A. by then. He then married a woman in Texas who left him after they returned to California after 1918. He cohabited in Long Beach with a woman named Benita who left him soon after they moved to Watts. So there is no record of a domestic partner dying with him. He gave many interviews over the years and much of the information he gave is conflicting. There's more about this in the "I Build the Tower" film documentary, the "Sabato Rodia's Towers in Watts" book edited by Andrea Del Giudice, and "The Los Angeles Watts Towers" book by Bud Goldstone (the engineer who designed the 1959 structural test). glasperlenspiel (talk) 22:29, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

"Nuestro Pueblo" deleted
I'm not sure why Simon Rodia would have called his towers by a Spanish name when he was Italian. At any rate, according to the L.A. City Web page at, the official name is Towers of Simon Rodia. Yours for accuracy, GeorgeLouis (talk) 04:17, 13 December 2008 (UTC)


 * "Nuestro Pueblo" is the only name Rodia ever gave to the property. It is spelled out in tile in many different places on the towers. As to the reason why, your guess is as good as any, but he did marry a Mexican woman when he was living in Texas, and there was a large Spanish-speaking population in Watts when he moved there. The terms like "pinnacles" and "Ship of Marco Polo" appear in pamphlets distributed by the Watts Towers Art Center but Rodia never used these names. glasperlenspiel (talk) 22:31, 5 February 2024 (UTC)
 * @Glasperlenspiel, I doubt the original poster will answer since his message is from 2008. But I find this information interesting. If you can find a reliable published source that states that he used that name, go ahead and add the information along with the source to the article, if it is not already there. Netherzone (talk) 22:43, 5 February 2024 (UTC)
 * after I posted that comment, I went back to the page; yes, the Nuestro Pueblo name is already there at the beginning of the article. I did add a citation with link to a Getty Center blog post which mentions the name and includes a photo of one of the spots where the name is spelled in tile. glasperlenspiel (talk) 22:54, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

"Nuestro Pueblo" Deletion Problematic
But,George, the facts are that Rodia lived in El Paso for some years and also was married to two women who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. It does not seem a stretch to believe that he was fluent in Spanish. Also, "Nuestro Pueblo" is inscribed in the towers' cement in at least two points, presumably by Rodia. I think your deletion is problematic.98.218.140.177 (talk) 00:35, 23 September 2009 (UTC)Peter http://www.victoriansecrets.net/watts.htm

The Watts Towers Inspiration
Simon Rodia was inspired by the Gigli (sp?) Festival in Italy... a town near his hometown. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Reverdia (talk • contribs) 04:25, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

I placed a mention of Edward James in the people and places section. Although I don't have references in front of me Edward James, as I recall from a documentary film about James, involved with the early preservation of Watts Towers. Jame's later work in Mexico reflects no shortage of inspiration from Rodia. I'm not sure though if James should be mentioned in the body of the article, with out a reference in print, or by someone who has seen the film recently and can link the reference. AnimalNorth (talk) 09:28, 14 March 2010 (UTC)

Earthquake damage, restoration, closure, date problems
2012

Just visited the Towers today (1-2-12) and on the plaques there is NO mention of the Northridge quake--it's the Sylmar quake that's mentioned twice! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.60.205.36 (talk) 04:48, 3 January 2012 (UTC)


 * 2014
 * The "DAMAGE" section should be rewritten, is obviously inaccurate based both on information such as the above and conflicting dates that suggest it was closed to the public for almost 20 years. According to this section of the article, Watts Towers was closed due to a quake in 1994, reopened 2001; closed due to vandalism 2000, reopened 2011.  Something is wrong here.  Can someone contact a knowledgeable official or caretaker?  Most of the links are still good, including http://www.wattstowers.us.htm GeeBee60 (talk) 12:53, 7 May 2014 (UTC)


 * 2023: obsolete date fixes
 * Now it is 2023 and the article says the towers were to be closed for a 3-year restoration beginning in 2017 ... which is 6 years ago. Wake up, Wikipedia, wake up! --50.78.98.129 (talk) 18:30, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Done, Thanks for noticing. Fettlemap (talk) 00:10, 18 June 2023 (UTC)

Sam Rodia's Date of Birth
I have two sources that put Sam Rodia's date of birth as April 15, 1886. One is unofficial, not authoritative in any way, but very likely to be correct. I know a relative of his, who has an internally-generated (and private) family tree. The other source is about as authoritative as one can expect for an American record of a foreign birth. It is the official Social Security Death Index Transcription of Sam Rodia's death in July 1965. It includes his social security number and his birth date. People can and do say all kinds of things when asked about their age unofficially. But they tend to tell the truth when the question is undeniably official, pertains to when they become entitled to certain government benefits, and where dishonesty would have serious legal repercussions.

Sam Rodia's Social Security Death Index Transcription can be viewed online at the following URL (hosted by FindMyPast, where either a free membership account or Facebook credentials is required):

https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=USBMD/SSDI/568036787

On the basis of that almost-authoritative information, I am changing the year of his birth in the article to 1886.

Coincidentally, it is his birthday today. Happy 136th birthday, old man. They may have done away with your very own Wikipedia page recently, but your home from 1955 onwards, the City of Martinez, CA, hasn't forgotten you, the Watts Towers, or that you're on the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album cover. ChrisJBenson (talk) 05:31, 15 April 2022 (UTC)