By Jonathan Friedman
Staff Writer
September 17 -- Santa Monica’s iconic Third Street Promenade turned 20 on Wednesday, and City and Bayside District officials came out to celebrate with a few speeches and a large cake depicting features that have made the Promenade one of the most famous outdoor malls in the world.
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The birthday cake featured street dancers, pedestrian shoppers, stores, restaurants and a water-spouting topiary dinosaur. (Photos by Frank Gruber) |
Bayside District Corp. Board Chair Bill Tucker called the Promenade “the heart and soul” of Santa Monica. And Mayor Ken Genser said it is “a major focus for the people who live here and the visitors to this community.”
What is now the Promenade was once a regular street open to vehicular traffic. It was converted to one of the first pedestrian malls in the nation in 1965. By the 1980s, the mall had fallen on hard times. Looking gloomy and depressed, foot traffic was slow in the daytime and almost non-existent at night.
The path toward revitalization began in 1984 with the City Council’s creation of the nonprofit Third Street Development Corp., later renamed Bayside District.
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(From left) Deputy City Manager Elaine Polachek, Bayside Board Chair Bill Tucker, Bayside Executive Director Kathleen Rawson, City Manager Lamont Ewell and Mayor Ken Genser. |
Two years of planning ensued, and then voters approved a $13 million bond in 1986 to fund the project. Construction began in 1988, and the mall opened on Sept. 16, 1989.
“Twenty years later, the vibrancy here is really the envy of many communities throughout the world,” said Kathleen Rawson, the Bayside District's executive director and CEO.
Following the speeches, celebrants admired and soon enjoyed a sugary treat from Rosebud Cake in West Los Angeles.
The cake contained the various features of the Promenade, including street dancers, pedestrian shoppers, stores, restaurants and a water-spouting topiary dinosaur.
