By Lookout Staff

May 13, 2010 --Disney announced on Wednesday that Santa Monica Place will be one of the 20 locations in North America and Europe housing its new Disney Store. A redeveloped version of Santa Monica Place, which is located across the street from the south end of Third Street Promenade, is scheduled to open on Aug. 6.

According to a press release issued by Disney, the store will feature “a unique destination developed from a child’s perspective.”

“Special features like the iconic Disney Princess castle with magic mirror and the Disney Store Theater are just two of the amazing elements in the new store that will enrich every child and family’s experience at the Disney Store,” the press release stated.

The first of these Disney Stores will open next month at The Shops at Montebello. The Santa Monica Place version will open in August.

The 550,000-square-foot renovated Santa Monica Place will feature Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom as its anchor stores. The new design features a round open-air plaza with wide passageways that connect the mall to the Third Street Promenade to the north and the Civic Center to the south. The original Santa Monica Place opened in 1980 and was designed by world famous Santa Monica architect Frank Gehry.