Sabato Rodia, Watts Towers Digital Archives
Sabato Rodia, Watts Towers Environment Page
Collection Size: Approximately 17 linear feet
Archives include clippings, correspondence, reports, and photographic prints, slides and negatives by Seymour Rosen. It also includes business records, correspondence, promotional and internal documents of the Committee for Simon Rodia’s Towers in Watts, a 501(c) (3) organization whose mission was to advocate for the Towers, and ephemera from the Watts Towers Art Center.
Sources for this entry include Bill Billiter’s April 1979 article in ArtNews; CSRTW’s 1976 The Towers of Simon Rodia in Watts; N.J. (Bud) Goldstone and Arloa Paquin Goldstone’s 1997 The Los Angeles Watts Towers; Calvin Trillin’s 1965 article in The New Yorker; and Daniel Franklin Ward’s 1986 Simon Rodia and His Towers in Watts.
1. Biographical Information
2. Interviews
3. Personal & Family Records
II. WATTS TOWERS
1. Site as Art
Books, films, plays
Books, films, plays, 1981, n.d.
“Spires to the Sun” 1979, 1983-84
Articles and Newspaper Clippings
Notification, towers historical cultural monument
Events
Exhibits
A Guide to Art Resources in Los Angeles
PR Materials
CSRTW – PR & Petitions
Educational Programs
Guestbook, 1965
Guestbook, 1966
2. Site as Property
Grant Deeds, 1959-1967
Lease, 1960
Social Services Dept. 1966, 1969
Insurance
Contract, Deeding Towers to City; Drafts, Correspondence (inc. Mayor Yorty,1967)
Yorty, 1967
Agreement with City, 1968
Site Planning, 1963
Repairs
Land/Plot Ownership Documents 1921-1934, n.d.
Grand Oasis
Conservation, 2011
III. COMMITTEE OF SIMON RODIA’S TOWERS IN WATTS (CSRTW)
1. Arts Center
Plan, 1963
Programs, 1965-1966
Loan Authorization, 1965
Fundraising, 1966-1968
Planning Committee, 1966
LA Department of City Planning, 1965
Legal – Cooperation Agreement, 1969
Financial / Legal
Proposal
Ephemera
2. City of Los Angeles
Watts Towers Security, 1976-1977
National Register of Historic Places, 1976-1977
Advisory Committee – Watts Towers Arts Center, 1976-1977
Operating Agreements
Sister City
3. Committee Meetings/Minutes
Minutes, 1959
Minutes, 1962, 1964
Minutes, 1965
Minutes, 1966
Minutes, 1967-1968
Minutes, 1969
Minutes, 1970-1977
Board Meetings, 1978
Minutes, 1979
Minutes, 1980
Minutes, 1981
Minutes, 1982
Minutes, 1983
Minutes, 1984
Minutes, 2000 –
Annual Membership Meetings, 1960-1984
4. Committee Members
Board of Directors
Biographical Materials
Mae Babitz
Jeanne Morgan
Seymour Rosen
Kate Steinitz
Membership Lists, 1966, 1978
Executive Director
Seymour Rosen Correspondence
Miscellaneous Correspondence
5. Financial Records
Financial Reports, 1960-1965
Financial Reports, 1961
Financial Reports, 1961-1984
Paid Bills, 1961 – September 1964
Employer’s Taxes
Record of Checks Drawn, 1961-1962
Record of Checks Drawn, 1962-1963
Record of Check Drawn, 1963-1964
Tax Information, 1960-1963
Tax Information, 7/1/62-6/30/63
Ledgers, 1964-1965
Paid Bills, 1964-1965
Simon Rodia’s Payroll Taxes, 1966-prior
Check Stubs
Paid Bills, 1966
Time Sheets (James Barrett), 1966
Paid Bills – Petty Cash, 1966
Receipted Deposit Slips, 7/1/66 – 6/30/67
Paid Bills, 1967
Paid Bills, K-O
Paid Bills, P-T
James Barrett Payroll, 1967
Payroll Records, 1967
Payroll and Disbursement Instructions, July 1, 1966 – June 30, 1967
Payroll Taxes 1967 – prior
Trial Balance/Bank Reconciliations – 1970-1971
Bank
Paid Bills U-Z, 1967
Correspondence, 1967
Bank Reconciliations, 7/1/66-6/30/67
Petty Cash (Office), 1967-1970
Building Fund Paid Bills, 1967
Finances„ 6/1/67 – 3/1/68
Paid Bills K-O, 7/1/67 – 6/30/68
Paid Bills P-T, 7/1/67 – 6/30/68
Deposits Posted – Operating A/C
Deposits Posted – Bldg/Fund/A/C
Bank Reconciliations, 7/1/67 – 6/30/68
Petty Cash Reimbursements, 1967/1968
Deposits, July 1968 to Dec. 1969
1968/1969 – Paid Bills – Bldg/Fund
Deposits Posted – Building Fund A/C, 1968-1969
Paid Bills – N-Z, 1968/1969
Paid Bills – A-M, 1968/1969
Bank Reconciliations, 1968-1969
Petty Cash Reimbursements, 1968-1969
Building Fund – Paid Bills, 1967-1968
Union Bank Statements, 1968
Union Bank Statements, 1969
Paid Bills – A-E, 7/1/67 – 6/30/68
Deposits Posted – Operations A/C
Finance Reports, 3/1/68 – 8/70
Union Bank Statements, 1970
Union Bank Statements, 1970-1971
Cash in Bank – Building Fund
Watts Towers Workshops building fund bank statements/cancelled checks
C/D & C/R – Bank Statements – “Special Fund A/C”, 1968-1971
Bills Paid
Deposits Posted, 7/70 – 6/71
Paid Bills, 1970-1971
First Western Bank Towers Account Statements and Checks to 6/71
Paid Bills, 1971-1972
1st Western, 1971-1972
To Computer, 1971-1972
Watts Towers Gate Receipts, May 1971 – June 1973
Union Bank Head Office Operating Account Statements and Checks
Union Bank B.H. Building Fund Bank Statements and Checks
Ledger
Union Bank – Operating Account Deposits, Bank Statements, Cancelled Checks,7/1/71 – 6/30/72
Community Redevelopment Agency, Helfeld
Watts Towers Gate Receipts, July 1973 –
Inventory, Merchandise for Sale
Miller Loan
6. Fundraising / Grants
Moneymaking fundraising ideas
Committee fundraising
Grant, 1967
Fundraising grants/buttons
HUD, 1978
CAC
Christo 1980
Associates in Technology
Fundraising ideas, 1983
James Glass Fundraising Feasibility Study, 1984
Thank you cards
One Square Inch
One Square Inch Sales Stubs Box 1 and 2
7. Legal Papers
Bylaws
Articles of Incorporation
Exempt Application, 1960-62, 1979
Agreement of conveyance, 1975
Transfer to the State
Modification of transfer to the State, 1977
8. Committee Business
Notes, folder 1 and 2
Rodia Museum, 1979
Archive Project
Bicentennial Subcommittee
Committee History Office Locations
Information Requests
9. Newsletters
1961-1982
10. Publicity – Outreach
Dorothy Beffman
Promo Leaflet
Los Angeles Herald Press Release
11. Stationery / Forms
Committee Membership Cards
Stationery/Old CSRTW
CSRTW Information Packet
Stationery/Letterhead
Stationery #3
Stationery Envelopes
Stationery Form
IV. PRESERVATION / CONSERVATION
1. City of Los Angeles
1958 Department of Buiding & Safety Report
City Demolition Hearings, 1959
Demolition Hearings, July 1959
Report, Hearing Examiner, 1959-60
Bureau of Public Buildings, 1978
Mollier’s Give it to State Documents, Nov. 1978
City Contract Cancellation City Council Motion, Dec. 1978
Materials & Methods Controversy after Sept. 1
Vaughn Contract
Vaughn - Reiner, LA City Controller, 1978
Contract Complaint
Ralph Vaughn ARA (Data)
“A” Tower Sculptures, Oct. 1992
Garden Spire, Jan. 1992
“B” Tower, Oct. 1993
Canopy, Nov. 1994
The Chimney, Feb. 1994
Vaughn Restoration Reports
Vaughn Restoration Reports
Vaughn Restoration Reports, 1978
The Preliminary Report, Vaughn
Complaint/Lawsuit, 1978-1979
Cultural Affairs Division
Preliminary Draft, 1982
City of Los Angeles, Bud Goldstone
City of L.A. Database System
Groundbreaking Ceremony, 1988
Reports, 1988/89, 1993-1999
Daily Log, 7/6-11/03 1992
Gazebo
House, April 1995
Tall Towers Analysis, June 1995
Tall Towers Inspection Report, April 1995
Tall Towers Inspection Report, May 1995 #2-15
Tall Towers 1995 Inspection Photograph Log
CCF, 1993
Northridge Earthquake, 1992
Northridge Earthquake Repair, July-August 1994
City Cultural Affairs, Correspondence
City of Los Angeles Goldstone Database
Cultural Affairs Department, Correspondence, 2000
Cultural Heritage Commission
City of Los Angeles Cultural Affair Dept. Correspondence, 2001
City of Los Angeles CRA
Municipal Arts Department
Los Angeles Perspective
2. Committee Records
Letters of Support, 1959
Structural Test, 1959
Structural Test, 1959 Goldstone Report, 1963
Legal Papers, settlement
Legal papers
Standards CSRTW
Applied Liquid Polymer Systems
Committee 1978, March 1978
Museum Advisory Group, May 1970
Tamas Tomey, Results of Investigation, May 1978
Goldstone/Vaughn, May/June 1978
Getty Management, July 1978
Green & Associates (Consultants to CSRTW), May-July 1978
Vaughn Work Crew, July ‘78
Vaughn starts the job, reports from the site prior to Sept. 1
Committee Declarations
Esthetic Damage
Getty Museum, 1978
Press Conference, Sept. 14, 1978
Goldstone/Observations, Septemeber 17, 1978
Damage Evaluation/Morgan, September 26, 1978
Current Job Status
Complaint for breach of contract, Ralph A. Vaughn lawsuit, State of CA
Lawsuit, 1978, exhibit 1-32
Lawsuit, Vaughn
Scaffolding & Calosha, Vaughn, 1978
Firschhein
Preservation Plans, 1978
Unlicensed contractor/other possibilities, Vaugh, 1978/79
Committee Updates, 1978/79
States of the Job
Letters of support
3. Non-governmental Agencies
Management Agencies
Watts Towers Community Trust
National Trust Grant, 1981
Caltrans Rail Link Relocations, 1981-82
Center for Law in the Public Interest Quarterly Report, Fall 1985
Ehrenkratz
4. State / City
Letters from individuals, 1956-1958
SOHP, 1977-79
State of CA meeting with Hollier, give ok
Hollier Management, October 15, 1978
Vaughn Specs, OCT/Nov 1978
Preservaton Department
Restoration Projects Reports
RFP, 1981
State/City
Meeting, 2002
State Review, 2003
Los Angeles Perspective
5. SPACES
SPACES
Watts Towers Grant Project (Archive)
V. IMAGES
1. Prints
Dated
Undated
2. Slides
Dated
Undated
3. Negatives
Dated
Undated
4. Proof Sheets
Dated
Undated
is a nonprofit public benefit organization created with an international focus on the study, documentation and archive of art environments and self-taught artistic activity.
Seymour Rosen
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