Environments turned landmarks

I enjoyed Thomas Curwen’s article on Mr. Forestiere and “Grandma” Prisbrey. Rodia’s Towers, Forestiere’s Gardens (1977) and Grandma Prisbrey’s Village (1996) are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Rodia’s Towers has an additional honor as a National Historic Landmark. In 1981, SPACES successfully nominated 11 environments for California State Landmark status. These included Prisbrey’s Bottle Village as well as Nitt Witt Ridge.

We started the “Preserve Bottle Village Committee” in 1978. We gave some 34 California environments artistic credibility by including them in a 1975 exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art -- “In Celebration of Ourselves.” Every California site you mentioned was in the show.

Seymour Rosen

Los Angeles

Seymour Rosen is the director of SPACES, an advocacy organization for the preservation of contemporary folk and Outsider environments.