A Santa Monica Art Walk that includes important architecture, instaworthy street murals, and outdoor sculpture in the Montana Ave neighborhood. If you start at point #1, Farnam House, you'll take a stroll on a gentle downhill slope that ends on the bluff overlooking the ocean. Scroll down below to view the map of the walking tour or add the map to your Google maps app or account.
If you want to start your Art Walk on Montana Avenue (a shopping street), then skip directly to stop #3.
1 Eclectic Mosaic Farnam House
Brightly tiled mosaic house hand-crafted and created by the owners, the Farnams. So eye-catching it creates rubberneckers of people driving by, and owners encourage viewers to take photos.
2 Frank Gehry Residence
Longtime residence of one the world's most famous living architects, Frank Gehry, who designed the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain; the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA; and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. He wrapped the original house -- a Dutch colonial -- with the metallic exterior and lived there with his family for decades; once called an eyesore by the neighborhood, it's now considered one of his seminal works.
3 Love Wall Mural
Instaworthy love mural by J Goldcrown behind Bardonna, the Montana Ave corner cafe.
4 Jonathan Gold Mural
On the 15th St side of Margo's restaurant, see street muralist Jonas Never's painted tribute to famed Los Angeles food critic Jonathan Gold. Margo's has a great happy hour and bottomless mimosa brunch.
5 Aero Theatre
The Aero Theatre was originally built by the Douglas Aircraft Company as a 24-hour theatre for their employees. The Streamline Moderne-styled theatre was designed by architect R.M. Woolpert and originally opened in 1940.
6 Ten Women Gallery
A small storefront gallery showcasing the work of local artists and craftspeople.
On the same block as the Ten Women Gallery, the Avocado mattress store has a rotating display of artwork on the side of its building. You can view the large-scale paintings from the alley.
7 Public Art "Gestation III"
Gestation III is a permanent outdoor wooden sculpture in Palisades Park, the bluff park overlooking the ocean. It's an onion-shaped work of art that changes in appearance as you move around it.
During the Winter Solstice, the sun sets right in the middle of the opening,, marking the the rebirth of the life of the Sun and the coming birth of Spring.
8 Palisades Park Rose Garden
Small circular rose garden with benches -- wander, sit, walk.
9 Idaho Gate
Four masonry gates mark the Idaho entrance to Palisades Park. They are believed to be the work of renowned Craftsman architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene. The bird and grape leaf motifs were representative of the Arts & Crafts style.
From here, there is a walkway to head down to the beach.
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