The Third Street Promenade is a
pedestrian mall esplanade, shopping, dining and entertainment complex in the downtown area of
Santa Monica, California which originally opened as the Santa Monica Mall on November 8, 1965. It is considered a premier shopping and dining district on the
Westside and draws crowds from all over the
Greater Los Angeles area. Due to easy access to
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...
via the
Big Blue Bus rapid transit service,
E Line's
terminus station and the
Pacific Coast Highway-
Santa Monica Freeway Interstate, the neighborhood's
north-south thoroughfares connecting to
Muscle Beach,
Venice Canal Historic District,
Marina del Rey
Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The p ...
,
Ballona Wetlands
Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve (pronunciation: "Bah-yo-nuh" or "Buy-yo-nah"
) is a protected area that once served as the natural estuary for neighboring Ballona Creek. The site is located in Los Angeles County, California, just south of ...
and
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
, and its proximity to historic
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
,
Santa Monica Pier
The Santa Monica Pier is a large double-jointed pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing.
Attractions Pacific Park
Th ...
,
Palisades Park,
Tongva Park,
Santa Monica State Beach and the
Pacific Ocean coupled with Los Angeles's mild
mediterranean climate, it is also a popular tourist destination.
History
Third Street has been a center of business in Santa Monica since the town's inception in the late 19th century. The Promenade's roots date back to November 8, 1965, when three blocks of Third Street were converted into a pedestrian mall. Although successful, by the late 1970s, the Santa Monica Mall (as it was then called), was in need of modernization and a redesign. A new enclosed shopping center,
Santa Monica Place (1980–2007), designed by
Frank Gehry
Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions.
His works are considered ...
was added at the Promenade's southern end. A citywide bond measure was issued and architectural firm
ROMA Design Group was hired to redesign Santa Monica Mall. The renamed Third Street Promenade opened on September 16, 1989.
The project was part of a larger redevelopment effort, encompassing several blocks of Downtown Santa Monica. Santa Monica Place has since been renovated into a new open-air shopping and dining venue, designed by
Jon Jerde, that re-opened on August 6, 2010.
The Third Street Promenade and Downtown Santa Monica are overseen by Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (formerly Bayside District Corporation), a private non-profit
501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
that works with the City of Santa Monica to manage services and operations in Downtown Santa Monica that promote economic stability, growth and community life within Downtown Santa Monica.
Features
Public art

A central feature of the Third Street Promenade are the
public art topiary sculptures and fountains ''
The Dinosaurs of Santa Monica
''The Dinosaurs of Santa Monica'' is a 1989 topiary sculpture series installed along the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California. Featured are six dinosaurs made of stainless steel, copper, and plant materials: a Triceratops measuring ...
'' by the French team
Les Lalanne
Les Lalanne (sometimes translated as "The Lalannes" in English) is the term for the French artist team of François-Xavier Lalanne (1927–2008) and Claude Lalanne (1924–2019).
Biographies
Francois-Xavier Lalanne was born in Agen, France, and r ...
. Located along three blocks of the Third Street Promenade, the dinosaur topiaries "spew" streams of water from their mouths.
Surrounding the Third Street Promenade are several multi-level parking structures developed in tandem with the Promenade's 1989 renovation. These parking structures contain exterior building-mounted sculptures, exterior building-mounted murals, and interior murals by artists such as
Gilbert Lujan Gilbert may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
Places Australia
* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (South ...
, Art Mortimer,
Peter Shire
Peter Shire (born 1947) is a Los Angeles-based artist. Shire was born in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, where he currently lives and works. His sculpture, furniture and ceramics have been exhibited in the United States, Italy, France, Ja ...
, Cliff Garden,
Ball-Nogues Studio
Ball-Nogues Studio is a design and fabrication practice based in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues, the studio's work falls between the categories of art, architecture and industrial design. The practice is known f ...
, and Anne Marie Karlsen,
Entertainment
Community sentiment and feedback during the 1989 planning phase expressed strong desire for public gathering space and "outdoor living room" space. The redevelopment plans took this to heart and designed the public space for public life, shopping and entertainment.
Street performers
Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pra ...
and entertainers are a frequent sight on the street. On a typical Saturday night in the summer, singer-songwriters, classical guitar players, magicians, clowns, hip-hop dancers, lounge singers, session drummers, and other artists line up approximately to apart from each other all along Third Street.
Photo gallery
Image:ThirdStreetPromenadeLights.JPG, Trees along Third Street lit up for the Holidays.
Image:ThirdStreetPromenadeBroadwayTheatre.JPG, Broadway Theatre on Third Street.
Image:ThirdStreetPromenade-santamonica-1880.jpg, Businesses on Third Street, between Utah and Oregon (now Santa Monica Blvd.), 1880.
References
External links
Third Street Promenade and Downtown Santa Monica, City of Santa Monica
, KCET (Public Media Group of Southern California)
Image of the remodeled business district, then known as Santa Monica Mall, California, 1965. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections,
Charles E. Young Research Library
The Charles E. Young Research Library is one of the largest libraries on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. It initially opened in 1964, and a second phase of construction was completed ...
,
University of California, Los Angeles.
{{Shopping malls in California
1965 establishments in California
Busking venues
Landmarks in Los Angeles
Pedestrian malls in the United States
Santa Monica, California
Shopping districts and streets in Greater Los Angeles
Shopping malls established in 1965
Shopping malls on the Westside, Los Angeles
Tourist attractions in Santa Monica, California