2007-06-09 17:57:13 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Los Angeles
They are not a big tourist attraction simply because they are not that well known, not because they are in Watts.
A local "myth' says they were constructed of material gathered after the Watts riots of 1965, but that is not true.
They were constructed by an Italian immigrant tile setter named Sabato (Simon) Rodia. Their correct name is the "Rodia Towers", but more commonly they are called the Watts towers. He began constructing them in 1921 and spent the next 33 years adding to them. They consist of nine structures, the tallest at 99 1/2 feet.
I know of then because during my younger days I drove a school bus in Compton, California for a few years, and this was a common "field trip" for the local schools.
If you would like further information about them, including a picture of each structure, may i recommend the website "www.trywatts.com/towers.htm"
2007-06-10 02:11:52 · answer #1 · answered by Peedlepup 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I saw the Watts Towers mentioned in a number of tourist books. (I'm a native of LA, but I read tourist books, anyway, because I don't want to miss anything.) So, I headed over there and was disappointed by them. As several answers here have mentioned, they're pretty ugly & uninspiring. But on the other hand, who's to say that YOU would feel that way; everyone's got their own take on things.
2007-06-10 13:42:24 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They're not a big tourist attraction, but they are interesting. A friend of mine dragged me out to see them, otherwise I'd never have gone. Imagine having a crazy neighbor who picked up bottles until he built this huge tower of them, and then you couldn't get it pulled down even though it was ugly. That's what they're like, and that's how the neighbors regarded it for years. It's not just that they're in Watts, although that's part of it, they're just not the Eiffel Tower, you know?
2007-06-10 06:15:51 · answer #3 · answered by Katherine W 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have lived in la for 34 yrs and the only reason i saw the towers was because i was repossesing a car in watts.the towers really are not advertised as an attraction, but they are interesting.
2007-06-10 01:58:36 · answer #4 · answered by LAVADOG 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they're really not a big deal.
2007-06-10 01:33:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋