I love this glorious example of ‘outsider art’ in LA

So next time you’re in LA, add this to your agenda – as well as Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills and the stars in the pavement. It’s as big a star as any in Hollywood.

Afternoon sun shines on the Watts Towers in California.

Though missing out on the biblical Babel, I’ve managed to visit Eiffel’s Tower, Trump’s, Pisa’s, London’s and the desolating site of the Twin Towers. But today, I’m taking you to visit my favourite towers – 17 rather small and spindly efforts (the tallest is 30m) in Watts, a somewhat bleak suburb of Los Angeles.

Watts is famous – notorious – for the riots of 1965. Incited by the racism of the Los Angeles Police Department. The riots, also known as the Watts Rebellion, led to 34 deaths and more than 1000 injuries, plus $US40 million in property damage. Some 14,000 members of the National Guard were called in to quell it. LA would not see anything on this scale until the LAPD’s brutal beating of Rodney King.

Fortunately, the Watts Towers – built by one man, Italian immigrant Sabato (or “Sam”, as locals called him) Rodia between 1921 and 1954 – survived the riots. Made with scrap rebar clad in wire mesh and concrete, and decorated with mosaics made from “found materials” – soft drink bottles, crockery, cracked mirrors and shards of tiles, mostly brought to him by local kids – the 17 interconnected towers are an extraordinary sight to behold. The final effect reminds me of Gustav Klimt’s paintings.

The towers are decorated with mosaics made from “found materials” – soft drink bottles, crockery, cracked mirrors and shards of tiles. Picture: istock

Rodia’s small on-site cottage was destroyed by fire on July 4, 1956. Around the same time, Sam had a mild stroke and fell from one of his towers. Tired of fighting local authorities for permits – and saddened by some locals vandalising his efforts – Sam simply walked away. He gave the property to neighbours and moved away to live with relatives, dying in 1965.

The site was later bought for just $2000 by two locals from the movie business – and they continued to fight the same local authorities. By now, officialdom was intent on pulling the towers down, deeming them to be unsightly and unsafe. But a growing protest group, aided by worldwide support, produced engineering tests that proved Sam’s towers were indeed good and strong.

Feelings then changed dramatically. After years of private guardianship, Los Angeles made up for its hostility and neglect by paying for the towers’ restoration – fixing up the rust, crumbling mosaics and earthquake damage. Finally, the towers gained official protection. The site is now a National Historic Landmark.

When I first visited in the early 1970s, the district was still tense, and locals were suspicious and even hostile to white faces. Given Watts’ bitter history, that was hardly surprising. It wasn’t easy to persuade a cabbie to make the trip, but it was worth it. The place, this giant work of sculpture, is magical, and the details of the mosaics are enchanting.

(You can still see the brand names on Sam’s broken soft drink bottles. The place, among other things, is a monument to recycling.)

So next time you’re in LA, add Watts to your agenda – as well as Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills and the stars in the pavement. Sabato Rodia’s masterpiece is as big a star as any in Hollywood.

PS. Don’t forget to visit the architectural dream of another eccentric using recycled materials: Justus Jorgensen’s magical kingdom, the Montsalvat artists’ colony on a hill at Eltham. Also deserving of recognition and protection. Part of my life since childhood.