[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 69 (Tuesday, May 15, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E792-E793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE DEATH OF NICHOLAS KING

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2012

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, it is my regrettable duty to report the 
death of a great American, Nicolas King. Mr. King died on April 3, 2012 
in Santa Rosa, California. He was 79. Perhaps more than any other 
person, Mr. King was responsible for preserving the Watts Towers in Los 
Angeles, which has been visited by millions over the past 50 years.
  King was instrumental in preserving the world famous Watts Towers 
which adds an aesthetic appeal to my 37th District. The unique work of 
folk art, was created over 33 years by Italian immigrant Simon Rodia. 
Rodia, described as a cement finisher and construction worker, began 
building the towers in 1921. The nearly 100-foot complex of spires and 
other structures are decorated with broken pottery, seashells, glazed 
tiles and pieces of colored glass.
  In 1954, Rodia moved to Martinez, California to be closer to family 
and signed his property over to his neighbor, Louis Sauceda. His former 
house had burned down, the gates to the walled property were open and 
unguarded, and the grounds were littered with refuse left by unwanted 
visitors. Nicholas King and his friend, William Cartwright, visited the 
famed Watts Towers for the first time and were surprised by what they 
saw.
  The current owner was a dairy farmer by the name of Joseph Montoya. 
For $3,000 and a downpayment check of just $20, Nicholas King and 
William Cartwright became the owners of the Watts Towers. King and 
Cartwright cleaned up the area around the towers, and an architect 
friend of Cartwright soon drew up a plan for a caretaker's cottage on 
the property. But when the architect went to apply for a building 
permit, he discovered that an order had been issued earlier for Montoya 
to ``demolish and remove the fire-damaged dwelling and dangerous towers 
from the premises on or before March 5, 1957.'' The Watts Towers in 
1959 passed a stress test in which the tallest spire was subjected to 
10,000 pounds of force and avoided demolition.
  With the establishment of the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in 
Watts, King and Cartwright yielded ownership of the towers to

[[Page E793]]

the committee. The group elected Cartwright as its chairman and he and 
King as permanent directors.
  Born Robert Nicholas King in Sacramento on March 21, 1933, he studied 
acting at the Pasadena Playhouse after graduating from high school in 
1951. King had uncredited roles in The Long, Hot Summer and as a medic 
in The Young Lions. He had the role of Arnie in Joy Ride (1958) and 
Georgie in The Threat (1960). He also had a recurring role on the TV 
version of the radio serial ``One Man's Family.''
  In 1969, King became a partner in a land cooperative on the Garcia 
River in Point Arena in Northern California, where he moved with his 
wife, Kate, and their two young children. King was involved in logging 
and started a nursery business in which he grafted apple trees and sold 
root stocks and apples. He also helped organize the river preservation 
group Friends of the Garcia and was active in the group Save Our 
Salmon.
  Nicholas King's inspirational life reminds us to preserve the rich 
artistic history of America. William Cartwright said it best, ``We knew 
we had to do something that we believed should have been done before 
us: preserving something that needed it and not abandoning it.'' 
Generations to come will be touched by the artwork at Watts Towers and 
we have Nicholas King to thank. He will be deeply missed and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in extending condolences to the King Family.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence in memory of Nicholas 
King.

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