'It's Been the Right Time for a Long Time': Watts Towers Campus Gets a Big Makeover

One of the most famous landmarks in Los Angeles is about to get a major upgrade. The Watts Towers Arts Center Campus, known as WTACC, will be redesigned in a $22-million project set to begin in October. The goal is to make the campus a better place for people who live nearby, as well as visitors from around the world. Leaders hope the work will be finished before the 2028 Summer Olympics come to Los Angeles.

The Watts Towers are a set of 17 connected structures built by an Italian immigrant named Sabato 'Simon' Rodia. He spent 33 years, starting in 1921, creating them out of everyday objects like tiles, glass, shells, and pottery. The tallest tower rises more than 99 feet in the air. The towers are now 102 years old and were named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1990.

The arts campus surrounding the towers has been a free resource for the Watts community for more than 50 years. It offers free art, film, and music classes for students and seniors. It also has an art gallery and hosts two music festivals every year. Thousands of artists, filmmakers, and musicians have learned and taught there over the decades.

The renovation will make big changes to the campus. More than 30,000 square feet of park space will be added along E. 107th Street. The project will also plant 200 trees, add more seating and shade to the outdoor amphitheater, and create new walkways and gathering areas. Special plants will be used to reduce flooding and keep the area cooler.

The project is paid for by a mix of public and private money. One big donation — $10.1 million — came from the Bezos Earth Fund, a climate charity started by Amazon's Jeff Bezos. The state of California also helped, giving $4.5 million through a parks program and another $4 million through the state budget. Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson said that once the early money came in, 'it was just a domino effect,' attracting more and more funding.

Rosie Lee Hooks has led the arts center since 2010. She said the project took so long partly because of where the campus is located. 'It took so long because we're in Watts,' she said. The Watts neighborhood has faced decades of being left out of city investments, going back to the 1965 Watts uprising. Hooks said the community is 'very, very rich in culture,' even if it has not always received the support it deserves.

Community leaders say the lack of investment shows in how the campus looks today. One partner organization described the site as a 'hodgepodge of concrete, worn-out planting areas and grass' with a confusing layout. The landscape design for the new campus is inspired by Rodia's own art style, which used many different pieces to build something beautiful. The designer, Sarah Zewde of Studio Zewde, said the goal is to 'celebrate' the campus's history rather than erase it.

The renovation does not include money to finish restoring the towers themselves. A 15-year effort led by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art ran out of funding when it was 90% complete. About $412,000 more is needed to finish the job. City leaders say they are hopeful the tower restoration and campus renovation will both be done in time for the 2028 Olympics.

For Hooks, the most important measure of success will be how the project helps the people of Watts. She sees the campus as a place where residents can gather, learn, and create art — especially now, when many families face serious challenges. 'Our community cannot afford art, especially now with all of the issues around health, around food, around jobs,' she said. The towers attract about 40,000 visitors a year and were recently added to the World Monuments Fund's list of endangered historic sites in the United States. City leaders hope the renovation will invite even more people — both from Los Angeles and around the world — to discover this remarkable place.