Second half of the 20th-21st Century
From a Consumerist City to
a Left City 1955-1960: Santa Monica housing boom. 1960: Third Street promenade was constructed as an outdoor mall designed by Victor Gruen. 1966: Santa Monica Freeway is completed. Connecting Santa Monica to the Greater Los Angeles Freeway network. 1968: The Douglas Aircraft Company closes at Santa Monica Airport, but symbolizes a change of economic drivers in the city. 1975: Population of the city was 93,500. The first black mayor elected. |
1980: Santa Monica Place was constructed as a redevelopment project. It was designed by Frank Gehry, a local resident. The mall connected to the Third Street Promenade.
1981: The majority of the council members were progressives and the city became known as a liberal city in a liberal state. 1983: Two El Nino storms destroyed more than a third of the Santa Monica Pier. Renovation cost the city $42 million. 1986: Rent Control was put into place and residents enacted other requirements for developers to be more transparent with the development process. 1990: An office complex called the Water Garden is built and major tech businesses come into the City. Population is 89,931. 2009: The Santa Monica Pier celebrated its Centennial. |