Simon Rodia, aka Simon Rodilla, Sabato Rodia and "Don Simon" (Alá Don Quixote by some of his neighbors), was born in 1879 in a small town in Campania, Southern Italy.

As a child, he worked the farm of his family, foregoing a formal education. At age 12 he was sent to America by way of Naples where he was taken by the classic examples of architecture in 'old Italy'. It was the first time Simon viewed constructions using glass and steel. He was fascinated by them.

Once in America, he labored in the Pennsylvania coal fields until he earned enough to make his way to the west coast . Simon landed in San Francisco where he married and had two children.

In early 1920, Simon Rodia went south. He settled on a wedge shaped plot of land in an area of Los Angeles known as Watts. It was here that he began his solitary work of 33 years.

From 1921 until 1954 he worked with no drawing board designs, scaffolding, bolts or welding. He would ultimately complete the largest single work of art ever created by one man using a tile-setter's simple tools.

After Simon completed the work, he gave his property and the Towers to the only neighbor he had who had never called him crazy, moved to Martinez, California and he never returned.

A few weeks before the Watts Riots of 1965, Simon Rodia died. But in all the devastation and violence of that time and in that space, the Towers of Simon Rodia were left untouched.

Today...