Airport Van Rentals and Watts Towers

The finest example of a folk art environment is waiting for you at Watts Towers in Los Angeles. Built by art enthusiast Sabato (Simon) Rodia, the Towers consist of 17 structural towers and a handful of embellished arrangement. Built without any assistance, Watts Towers now stands as one of the most unique attractions in all of Southern California. Customers of Airport Van Rentals are sure to be amazed by this massive structure, but don't take our word for it. Visit Watts Towers today as part of your upcoming California van rentals adventure.

A unique design

Watts Towers are constructed mainly of steel pipes and rods, many of which are wrapped with wire mesh and coated with mortar. If you look closely, you will also find that many of the main supports are embedded with pieces of porcelain, tile and glass. All of these items, from the steel to the stones are found objects - be it bed frames, bottles, discarded ceramic tiles or abandoned seashells. As inconceivable as it may seem, Rodia built is amazing metal village with no special equipment, save some window washing tools, and with no predetermined design. He worked alone, save from the help of local kids who would bring him pieces of glass in hopes they would be added to the project.

A recycled masterpiece

The bulk of the materials used in Watts Tower came from damaged items from Malibu Pottery, a place where Rodia worked for many years. Other items were scavenged from alongside the Pacific Electric Railway, which is located between Watts and Wilmington. Customers of Airport Van Rentals may be surprised to learn that Rodia would sometimes walk all the way along this stretch of track in search of materials - a distance of nearly 20 miles. Other recognizable materials utilized in Rodia's build include soft drink bottles, many of which still bear logos from 7 Up, Bubble Up, Squirt and Canada Dry.

Conspiracies and crime: the fate of Watts Towers

Today, customers of Airport Van Rentals are amazed by the detailed craftsmanship that contributed to the creation of Watts Towers. This, unfortunately, has not always been the case. Rodia's structure reportedly caused quite a bit of tension between himself and his neighbours, resulting in suspicion and vandalism. One of the most popular rumours of the day was that Rodia constructed the towers as a way of communicating with enemy Japanese forces during World War II. Other rumours included speculation of buried treasure and mass burials.

The fate of Watts Towers

In 1955, Rodia suddenly abandoned his lifelong project, many believe due to the harassment of his neighbours. Rodia would later settle in Martinez, California and never come back to Los Angeles. Shortly after Rodia left, vandals burned down what had been his small one bedroom bungalow, and the city of Los Angeles was forced to condemn the site. Luckily, Watts Towers were saved from a demolish team by actor Nicholas King and film editor William Cartwright. These two visited the site in 1959, saw the neglect, and decided to purchase the property for $3,000. When the city heard news of the deal, they decided to go ahead and demo the property before the closing date came about. Lucky for customers of Airport Van Rentals, this tragic fate was never brought to fruition. Watts Towers were allowed to stay standing, but only after they had passed a rigours round of engineering tests. Since then, the Towers have been cared for by the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts, the City of Los Angeles and the State of California. The site was turned into Watts Towers of Simon Rodia State Historic Park in 1975. The towers are one of nine folk art sites listed in the National Register of historic Places, and have also been designated a National Historic Landmark.
Customers of Airport Van Rentals will find Watts' collection of 17 towers at 10618-10626 Graham Avenue in the Watts district of Los Angeles. Customers of Airport Van Rentals will enjoy spectacular views of the structures from the 103rd Street-Kenneth Hahn Station of the Metro Rail LACMTA Blue Line.