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'[[Image:Santa Monica Promenade.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A picture taken in the heart of the Promenade]] The '''Third Street Promenade''' is a [[pedestrian mall]] in [[Santa Monica, California]], [[United States]]. It is considered one of the premier shopping destinations in [[West Los Angeles (region)|West Los Angeles]] and frequently draws crowds from all over [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]]. Due to its proximity to the [[Pacific Ocean]] coupled with Los Angeles's mild 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 1800s. The Promenade's roots date back to the 1960s when three blocks of Third Street were converted into a pedestrian mall and the . Although successful at first, by the late 1970s, the pedestrian mall was in serious decline, despite the construction of [[Santa Monica Place]] mall (1980 - 2007, 2010 -), designed by [[Frank Gehry]], at its southern end. Subsequently, the area was [[redevelopment|redeveloped]] in the late 1980s-early 1990s (and renamed Third Street Promenade) to become the nationally recognized success that it is today. The project was part of a larger redevelopment effort in Downtown Santa Monica, encompassing several blocks of an area called Bayside District. [[Santa Monica Place]] has since been renovated as well into a new shopping center, which also resembles a [[pedestrian street]], and is scheduled to open August 6th, 2010.<ref>[http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/pal/13575317/2008/00000013/00000003/art00002/ "Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade: the failure and resurgence of a downtown pedestrian mall", ''Urban Design International'', (2008) 13, 141–155, Dorina Pojani]</ref> The Third Street Promenade includes a mix of local and chain businesses. It had the original [[Starbucks#Hear Music|Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouse]] before it went out of business; currently, it boasts a [[Mann Theatres]], [[AMC Theatres]], and [[Loews Theatres]]. Larger tenants include [[Anthropologie]], [[H&M]], [[French Connection (clothing)|French Connection UK]], [[Barnes & Noble]], [[Urban Outfitters]], a three-story [[The Gap (clothing retailer)|Gap]], [[Armani Exchange]], [[Guess?]], [[Apple Store (retail)|Apple]], [[American Eagle Outfitters]] and [[Pottery Barn]].Third Street Promenade hosts a popular [[farmers' market]] twice a week. [[Busking|Street performers]] 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 many harder-to-classify artists line up approximately {{convert|50|ft|m}} apart from each other all along Third Street. The Third Street Promenade is overseen by Bayside District Corporation, a public-private entity.<ref>[http://www.thirdstreetpromenade.org/ Bayside District Corporation]</ref> == Trivia == *On July 16, 2003, 86-year-old [[George Russell Weller]] lost control of his car and drove through a crowded farmer's market on the promenade, killing 10 people. *The Third Street Promenade is featured in the video game [[Midnight Club: Los Angeles]]. == Photo gallery == <gallery> Image:052607-008-3StP-facing-SMP.jpg|The southern end of the mall faces Santa Monica Place. 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. </gallery> ==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} ==External links== *[http://www.downtownsm.com/ Third Street Promenade and Downtown Santa Monica] *[http://tryourla.com/attractions/third-street-promenade/ Third Street Promenade review] *[http://www.santamonicaplace.com/ Santa Monica Place] {{coord|34.0156|-118.4961|display=title}} [[Category:Busking venues]] [[Category:Landmarks in Los Angeles, California]] [[Category:Santa Monica, California]] [[Category:Shopping districts and streets in the United States]] [[Category:Pedestrian malls in the United States]] {{California-south-geo-stub}} [[pl:Third Street Promenade]]'