Named for surveyor/banker Frank Lecouvreur (1829-1901). Born in Ortelsburg, East Prussia (present-day Szczytno, Poland), Lecouvreur came to L.A. in 1855 after striking out in the Gold Rush. He took a job in a saloon but disliked being shot at by drunken patrons, so he became a painter for noted carriage maker John Goller. He then worked for surveyor/lawyer Henry Hancock, then for Wilmington founder Phineas Banning. He eventually served as L.A. city surveyor in 1868-1869, during which time he surveyed Wilmington. Lecouvreur was later named a director of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, alongside the most powerful men in town (Downey, Hellman, Childs, et al). In 1906, his widow Josephine published his papers as From East Prussia to the Golden Gate. Lecouvreur Avenue was named in 1915 in remembrance of its namesake’s connection to Banning. It was formerly Wilmington Avenue. P.S. Don’t ask me how to pronounce “Lecouvreur”. Or “Szczytno”, for that matter.
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