Ivar Alexander Weid (né “Hviid”, 1837-1903) was a Dane who immigrated to the U.S. in 1861, became a Union captain in the Civil War, and came to Los Angeles c. 1870 with his equally Danish bride Marie (1846-1918). They settled somewhere west of city limits and had five children. (Daughter Selma has her own nearby street.) In 1876, Weid got a job with the U.S. government as a “revenue gauger”, i.e. customs inspector. The gig included a deal on 640 acres of federally-owned land southwest of present-day Western Ave. and Santa Monica Blvd., which Weid set to farming… and flipping. He quickly acquired significant wealth and property and became a leading figure in early Hollywood. One theory, in fact, as to how Daeida Wilcox came by the name “Hollywood” is that Weid suggested it to her: he had a 240 acre ranch in Holly Canyon, named for the California holly that grew wild there. (It was later called Weid Canyon.) This theory was promoted by Weid’s son Otto, which lends either credence or bias. In any event, Ivar Avenue was named by the Wilcoxes c. 1888.
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