Some believe this is named for silent screen star Norma Talmadge (1894-1957). The rumor may have started because her name adorned a building at 9006 Sunset Boulevard (at Hammond): she had helped architect Roy Selden Price bankroll the structure in 1931. (It was torn down in 1963.) But Norma Place was named in 1923, when Talmadge had no known ties to this neck of the woods. A startup movie studio called the Silent Drama Syndicate purchased fourteen acres here in 1920 with the intention of setting up production facilities – see Lloyd Place – and they were apparently behind the naming of Norma Place. But if they were honoring Talmadge, it wasn’t because she had any connection to the company. P.S. Talmadge Street in Los Feliz isn’t named for the actress either, but head on down to San Diego’s Talmadge neighborhood and you will find streets honoring all three Talmadge sisters: Norma, Constance, and Natalie.
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