Simon Rodia
1879–1965 (age 86)
artist
Biography
Italian-born Simon Rodia spent decades in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles turning scrap metal, broken pottery, and relentless imagination into the Watts Towers, a singular folk-art creation built entirely by hand and without formal training.
Though he eventually left the towers in the care of others, Rodia's patient dedication has left a lasting monument to perseverance and the power of one person to transform a landscape and inspire a community.