Simon Rodia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sabato "Simon" (or "Sam" to his friends) Rodia (1879 – 16 July 1965) was an Italian immigrant to the United States who spent much of his adulthood living in Los Angeles, California. Rodia lived in the Watts district of Los Angeles where he constructed his most famous creation, the Watts Towers.
Rodia was born in 1879 near the town of Naples, Italy before emigrating to the United States at the age of 15 and living with his brother in Pennsylvania. However, his brother died soon afterwards in a mining accident and Rodia then moved to the west coast. He first lived in Seattle, then Oakland, and then Long Beach before settling in Watts in the early 1920s, where he began construction of the towers.[1] While living in Seattle, he married and had three children with his wife.
Rodia began working on the towers in 1921 and finished them in 1954. After finishing the towers, Rodia moved to Martinez, California where he lived until his death in 1965[1]; it is generally believed that he never saw his towers again after leaving Watts. He moved due to disputes with his neighbors over the vandalization of the towers.
Claims that Rodia's surname was "Rodella" or "Rodilla," or that his given name was "Sabatino," rather than Sabato, are generally given little credibility, and are likely the result of misspellings. There is some question of whether or not he was generally called "Simon" during his lifetime.
A photograph of Simon Rodia is included on the cover of the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967. Simon Rodia High School in Watts is named for him.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Big Orange Landmarks -- No. 15 - Towers of Simon Rodia.
