Ground broken for major renovation, expansion of Watts Towers campus

Wave Staff Report

WATTS — The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs joined elected officials, project partners, project partners, support organizations, and community members Oct. 15 to break ground on a major renovation and expansion of the Watts Towers Arts Center Campus.

The celebration brought together many partners and supporters of the project, including City Councilman Tim McOsker; U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles; state Sen. Laura Richardson, D-Inglewood; Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Hamilton; Ayanna Davis on behalf of Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Gardena; Tori Kjer, executive director of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust; and the executive team from the Department of Cultural Affairs and leadership from the Watts Towers Arts Center Campus.

The renovation, a collaboration between the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, and the city Departments of Recreation and Parks and General Services, will add more than 30,000 square feet of usable park space to the historic campus grounds. Plans for the site also include installing new shade structures, climate-resilient landscaping, improved public amenities, and enhanced spaces for arts programming, performances, and community engagement.

More than $22 million has been secured to support the expansion, including a $10.1 million partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund, as well as funding from federal, state, county and city governments. Completion of the project is anticipated before the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In July, the Watts Towers received a $10.1 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund for development of a five-acre park and arts and culture campus. The project will include shade trees, native and drought-tolerant plants, a walking path, an outdoor amphitheater classroom and interactive art installations.

“As the only official tourist site and major cultural destination in Watts, the revitalized campus will expand access to arts and museum education programming and welcoming green space for more than 50,000 annual visitors, supporting a vibrant community hub in advance of the 2028 Olympics under city stewardship,” the fund said in announcing the grant.

Created over more than three decades by Italian immigrant Sabato “Simon” Rodia, the Watts Towers consist of 17 hand-built reinforced-concrete structures decorated with tile, glass and found objects. The tallest tower rises nearly 100 feet.

“The Watts Towers are a monumental achievement by one individual, Simon Rodia, yet are of cultural significance and meaning to all of the local community, and its visitors,” Daniel Tarica, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, said. “The conservation and preservation of the Watts Towers … reinforces a message to the community of investment, value, and stewardship, while also supporting increased cultural tourism and generating economic opportunities that benefit both the immediate Watts community and the wider region.”

The landmark also is home to the Watts Towers Arts Center, the Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center and the Garden Studio, which provide arts education, youth programs and community events, including the annual Watts Towers Day of the Drum Festival and Simon Rodia Watts Towers Jazz Festival.

The expansion of the Watts Towers Arts Center Campus. marks a significant milestone in the preservation and long-term stewardship of this vital community hub, ensuring it remains an essential community resource for generations to come, a Department of Cultural Affairs spokesperson said.

Earlier this summer, the Watts Towers was named to the World Monuments Fund’s inaugural Irreplaceable America list, recognizing 10 U.S. historic sites considered essential to preserving the nation’s cultural heritage.

The list was created as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and highlights historic places facing significant preservation challenges.