Travel Guide

LAX Airport Parking and Watts Towers

Los Angeles has always been a city of big dreams, big buildings and big ideas. That's why Simon Rodia's Watts Towers is such a fitting Los Angeles icon. Located in the Watts district of LA, Watts Towers (also known as Nuestro Pueblo) features 17 unique interconnect architectural structures. Constructed from steel pipes, rods and discarded items, the towers evoke a sense of creative that's central to LA's vision. Rodia built the towers with (so far as anyone knows) no predetermined design, relying entirely on insight and experimentation. Customers of Johnny Parks LAX Airport Parking are encouraged to visit this unique landmark, reveling in the energy Rodia created using nothing more than his own two hands. Rodia's labor of love makes use of discarded and forgotten materials, breathing new life into items like 7-Up bottles, broken bed posts and broken pottery. A source of both pride and mystery for many Los Angeles residents, Watts Towers continue to dominate the skies of Los Angeles' southernmost residential neighborhood.

One Man's Garbage is another Man's Treasure

When Simon Rodia began building something in his yard, his neighbors took little if any notice, think it was nothing more than a home improvement project. Little did they know that Rodia would eventual create more than a dozen towers, the tallest two of which reach over 99 feet. Built mostly of steel pipes and rods, Rodia's tower's were wrapped in wire mesh and later coated with mortar. Rodia then decorated the mortar with discarded pieces of glass, most of which he brought home from his job at Malibu Pottery. It's also rumored that neighborhood kids would often bring Rodia shards of colorful glass for further decoration. Amazingly enough, Rodia used little if any equipment to build his masterpiece, relying almost entirely on window-washers tools and a makeshift vice. Rodia also relied on scraps from the neighboring Pacific Electric Railway as well as roadside "trash". So is Rodia's creation really a work of art, or simply a pile of trash? Customers of Johnny Parks LAX Airport Parking can answer that question themselves by stopping by the Watts neighborhood in Southern Los Angeles.

Overcoming Adversity

Rodia's sculptures haven't always been recognized as works of art. In fact, many people were suspicious of Rodia's strange hobby. Rumors about the towers' true purpose included everything from buried treasure markers to radio antennae. In time, Rodia's neighbors became increasingly uncomfortable and his structures suffer from much vandalism. In 1955, Rodia couldn't take it anymore and was forced to give his property up. He moved to Martinez, California and never returned to his towers. After his departure the City of Los Angeles condemned Rodia's structure and ordered they be destroyed. Fortunately, these orders were never carried out thanks to the actor Nicholas King and director William Cartwright. The duo instantly fell in love with Rodia's structures in 1959, purchasing the land they stood on for a measly $3,000. When the city found out about the transfer, it decided to continue with the demolition before the transfer could be finalized. By this time the towers had become famous the world over, and their pending destruction soon made headline news. King, Cartwright and a curator from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, along with a collection of area artists, architects and activists eventually formed the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts. This committee negotiated with the city, saving the structures from their impending doom.

Today the Watts Towers stand as part of the Simon Rodia State Historical Park. It is operated by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department and open to customers of Johnny Parks LAX Airport Parking. This unique structure is one of only nine folk art instillations listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is also one of only four National Historic Landmarks in LA. Customers of Johnny Parks LAX Airport Parking are encouraged to visit the landmark as well as the onsite Watts Towers Arts Center during their upcoming visit. Customers of Johnny Parks LAX Airport Parking will find the towers at 1765 East 107th Street in LA.