Sunday, March 29, 2015

A Mink in Watts



I can just picture; February 1964. Millicent and her husband Harold are out for a Sunday drive. They make a wrong turn and find themselves in Watts. Looking through the front window, Millicent sees the uniquely magnificent Towers in front of her. "Pull the car over, Harold!" Clutching her fur wrap, she poses in front of the entrance sign.



Zooming in for the signage:



I am loving the contrast of a Sunday-best clad Millicent roaming through the informal yet magnificent Watts Towers.



Something about the old vs. new, the establishment vs. the rebels. And yes, Simon Rodia was definitely a rebel for being able to conceive such a cool piece of art and then seeing its construction through, despite all of the hurdles thrown at him by the City of Los Angeles.



Millicent's visit occurred one year before Rodia passed away.





As a bonus, I am throwing in this November 1962 vintage image of the Towers from a totally unrelated visit.



For more Watts Towers photos head on over to my main website.

2 comments:

K. Martinez said...

I have yet to see the Watts Towers which you have featured several times on your blog. Beautiful colors in today's photos Thanks, Dave.

MRaymond said...

Such a nice memory popped into my head while reading your post. A grade school field trip to the Watts Towers in the early 70s. We heard the story of the towers, and got to roam around and explore for a while.