The Towers - 1957

A color documentary which examines the creation of the Watts Towers and the Italian immigrant and visionary Sabato Rodia who realized them. This film contains intriguing footage of mid-1950's Watts, the neighborhood where greats like Charles Mingus amongst many others grew up.

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http://www.weirdovideo.com

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• 1957
• 1950's
• Watts
• Towers
• documentary
• Sabato
• Rodia
• Los
• Angeles
• Nuestro
• Pueblo

[FutureLaugh]

the theme in the begining what a little pre twilight zone

[fatdonkeyskunkmaster]

"Ima Gonna Do SOMETHIN"

[rentatrip1]

I choose to observe the fine lasting "work" of Simon Rodia -

he was not Black and he did not cause

political or social "change" , that his effort is overlooked by all -

who live in Watts Los Angeles California-

But His art is named Watts Towers -

it is not praised with a separate day of memorial But His Art is lasting after many quakes & riots-

Simon Rodia , worked hard on this Art for over 33 years -

silently working BUILDING something, not protesting anything

[pacific1derland]

If I'm not mistaken, when the city threatened to tear down the towers due to "safety concerns", they did a bunch of stress tests on the structures and, to their dismay, found them to actually be stronger than necessary.

[xytsdx2]

by the 1970's, the city was getting ruined by gang violence.

[ultrakool]

ima gonna doa somethinga. ima gonna builda me some a towers that wont a leana over likea thata peice a ca ca over therea in a pisa

[jas282]

@JYJRRI hey i just got back from visiting the Watts Towers... and it turns Simout he was an ordained minister, and actually build a chapel and a baptismal INSIDE the towers! so there is a good chance that your mom was baptized at the chapel in the towers...

[JaJr07]

He was my mothers godfather. I have a bible to prove it. It is sign, Samuel Rodia

[gajcatsb]

It is men and women like Rodia that create the beauty and value in this world. They are driven by inspiration most people can't understand,

[LxHxCx661]

its always cool to look back at 1920-1970 Los Angeles history.

[bapyou]

@dganir1

"Someone funded this."

Rodia funded the Towers himself. He bought the land in the 1920s and worked on it in his spare time. He was a tile setter by trade. Many of the broken and discarded pieces of tile he brought home from his daytime job sites. He also used discarded bottles and old tools; things he'd scavenge from waste piles. The costs were minimal: reinforcement rods and cement.

As far as building codes go, because it was a community of color, few city inspectors cared.

[neverwasapunk16]

Idk things were different in the 50's. Alot of building codes came about as technology got better.

I live in Inglewood , but i go to watts all the times. Growing up i always thought the watts towers had something to do with the street wires . I thought they were like giant breakers or something lol