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Rodeo Drive is a street in Beverly Hills, California. It is less than four kilometers long or about two miles. The Southmost part of Rodeo Drive is in Los Angeles.
Beverwil Drive is where Rodeo Drive’s southern terminus is based. Its intersection point with Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills is where the northern terminus is located.
The name Rodeo has its origin in the Spanish language and is used as an allegory of the stretch between Little Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard. It is a three-block street stretch.
Rodeo is translated to mean round up something. It came to use in American English in the 1830s when it referenced a round-up of cattle.
The name Rodeo was given by the investors that bought the property to subdivide it for various usage purposes. Burton E. Green was among the investors early 1900s.
In acknowledgment of the area’s heritage, the Investors named their company Rodeo Land and Water Company. They called the main street of the development Rodeo Drive.
If you are looking for a designer label or have a taste for Haute fashion, Rodeo Drive is your place. That is what it’s best known for. Get to explore the designer drive with these 10 amazing realities about Rodeo Drive.
1. It was your regular street
Looking south along West Street from the intersection with Rodeo Drive, Mount Isa City, 2019 Photo by Kerry Raymond-Wikimedia
Rodeo Drive in the 1950s was a business street that had hardware stores, bookstores, beauty shops, and gas stations. There was not much to it as it’s known today.
2. The hype came with its new image
Rodeo drive outside Gucci store in1991 Photo by Brian W. Schaller-Wikimedia
Fred Hayman who is known as the father of Rodeo Drive opened the first high-end boutique on the street, Giorgio Beverly Hills in 1961. 1968 saw Aldo Gucci join the street.In 1969 Van Cleef & Arpels opened on Rodeo.In 1970 a Vidal Sassoon salon joined in and in 1971 brought in The Polo Store.
Having fashion legends on board, Rodeo Drive Committee(RDC) wanted to give the place a facelift. They wanted it to be known as an international center of fashionable shopping. This was sparked by the opening of a new wing of Beverly Wilshire in 1971.
Bijan Pakzad 1976 opened a showroom on Rodeo Drive. Pakzad’s opening cemented the picture of the new Rodeo Drive. Pakzad created the notion that its showroom was the world’s most expensive fashion store.
The Royal Drive Committee 1977 saw it fit to launch a publicity campaign. According to Richard Carroll-former co-chair of RDC, the campaign was set to create the image of Rodeo Drive as the street shopping for the famous and rich.
The committee’s mission was accomplished. Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce 1978 gave a nod to Rodeo Drive, being the world’s best shopping center. According to Beverly Hills City, the Rodeo Drive Shopping district was responsible for 25 percent of the city’s sales tax revenues by 1980.
As of 1981 the street stretched two and a half blocks and boasted 65 stores on it. The new image of Rodeo Drive initiated development on the street. A shopping mall- Rodeo Collection was put up in 1983. Its retail space ranked at the highest price for any space in the area of Los Angeles.
Rodeo Drive had gained popularity by the 1990s and it was ranked as the fourth most visited in the region of Los Angeles. In 1990 Two Rodeo Drive was another shopping center that was set up on Rodeo. It was injured by the 1990s recession. It was sold and bought by different parties until it got back to its feet in 2007.
3. Then came the walk of style
Model crosses a street on Rodeo Drive in 2013 Photo by BeenAroundAWhile-Wikimedia
Rodeo Drive was given a makeover in 2003 for 18 million dollars. It included widening of streets and crosswalks addition. Palm trees came as a replacement for the ficus trees that lined the street.
September of 2003 saw the walk of style initiated by the Rodeo Drive Committee. They resolved to honor fashionistas for their style and fashion work. So plaques lined the crosswalks showcasing their work.
The Torso which is a nude sculpture at Dayton Way and Rodeo Drive intersection is a masterpiece by Robert Graham. The world-renowned sculptor’s work is the symbol of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style. The award winners of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Awards are honored with a Torso Marquette designed by Graham.
4. Destruction struck
After the alleged murder of George Floyd, in May 2020. Rodeo Drive’s famous business reported damages, vandalization by spray paint, and looting.
5. Be part of the fun
Take part in the Concours d’Elegance event that happens once a year on Rodeo Drive. Every Father’s Day the event is hosted on the drive. There’s an exhibit of the most expensive automobiles across the world on Rodeo Drive.
The Fashion Night Out is another event that started in New York City in 2009. It aimed to help the fashion industry celebrate its work, grow the economy of the industry and regain consumer confidence.
This saw 500 U.S. cities including Los Angeles 2012 subscribe to the event. Another 30 cities from different parts of the world also signed up. It became a global event and is held every September and all participants celebrate on the same night.
On Rodeo Drive business district the event features a high-60m Ferries Wheel among other attractions. The Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches and Jewelry is another event you can look out for.
6. Know your Celebrity
The celebrities that have ever been spotted shopping on Rodeo Drive are Leonardo Dicaprio. Calista Flockhart, Val Kilmer, and Britney Spears are included on the list. The list continues with Warren Beatty, Gregory Peck, and Don Johnson. Danny DeVito and Rod Stewart were part of the list as well.
The stars that have ever lived on Rodeo Drive are such as the movie star Gene Kelly (725 Rodeo Drive). Others are Jackie Cooper (804), Gene Hersholt (602), Carl Reiner (714), and George Murphy (807). The film actor Ralph Forbes was listed on (606).
Some celebrities that have been associated with Rodeo Drive for various reasons include Nicole Brown and O.J. Simpson. They first met in a nightclub on the drive where Brown was a waitress.
The film director and actor Tod Browning is part of the list. The film greats William Boyd and Elinor Fair who were married to each other are associated with Rodeo Drive as well.
7. Get entertained
The Pretty Woman movie of the 1990s has the street featured. Vivian Ward playing Julia Roberts in the film is pictured as a young prostitute. She enters a boutique on Rodeo Drive and the sales clerks snub her.
The song Down Rodeo is named after Rodeo drive. The song is by Rage Against the Machine. Rage in the song alludes to rolling down Rodeo with a shotgun.
8. Meet the boss
Going by U.S. and Ireland public records, ECA Capital Limited bought Rodeo Drive for $81.5 million in 2007. Ronan McNamee handles the property. He is the owner of an Irish fine-foods purveyor known as Cuisine de France.
9. It’s not all that busy
Rodeo Drive has over 100 famous stores. Most boutiques open from 10 am to 6 pm on Mondays to Saturdays. Sunday’s operation hours start at 12noon and by 5 pm business is done. But restaurants and hotels are open later.
10. Check who’s on location
The legends in the fashion industry that are based on Rodeo Drive are Chanel, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, and Prada. A spot check on the drive you see, Tiffanys. With a keen eye, you will locate Louis Vuitton.
Lanvin can be spotted and so can Carolina Herrara. On the list are also Versace, Dolce, Gabbana, Burberry, Hermes, Guess, and Cartier. You can locate Tom Ford, Dior, Celine, Max Mara, Ralph Laurent, and Tory Burch along Rodeo Drive.
Rodeo Drive tops as the most exclusive luxury destination in the world. So if you’re asking whether it’s worth visiting. You can give it a few minutes it’s an interesting place.
You can window shop it costs nothing. You can park for free if you are lucky to come by a parking slot. It’s exciting to watch the spectacle.
If you are bargain hunting look elsewhere Rodeo drive is a non-bargain zone as prices are fixed. After Rodeo, you can explore West Hollywood and Beverly Hills and spend an entire weekend or a day.
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