Watts Towers By Sabato Simon Rodia

Rodia was born and raised in Serino, Italy. He emigrated to the United States with his brother at the age of 15; the two first lived in Pennsylvania until the former died from a mining incident. Rodia then moved to Seattle, Washington, where he married Lucia Ucci in 1902. The couple moved to California and resided in Oakland, where Rodia's three children were born. Following his divorce from Ucci in 1912, he relocated to Long Beach and worked odd jobs before settling in Watts in 1920.
He began construction of the Watts Towers in 1921, but did not finish them until 1954. They were frequently vandalized by neighbors; Rodia cited this as his reason for moving to Martinez, where he remained until his death on July 16, 1965. Generally, it is believed that Rodia never returned to Watts after moving away from the city.