The 1902 Alvarado Terrace tract, which took its name from Alvarado Street, introduced Courtland Avenue, Malvern Avenue, and, naturally, Alvarado Terrace. The tract was owned by city councilman Pomeroy W. Powers, who would build his own home on the tract and later lend his name to Powers Place, the shortest street in Los Angeles. Powers purchased the 25 acre property in 1901 from Doria Jones (née Deighton, 1824-1908), a Scottish immigrant whose claim to fame was being mother-in-law to local big shot James Boon Lankershim, son of Valley pioneer Isaac. Apart from all that, I’ve been stumped by the origins of Courtland and Malvern avenues. Five of Powers’s cronies invested in the tract – Thomas Hughes, Arthur W. Kinney (no relation to Venice founder Abbot), Lester L. Robinson, Robert H. Raphael, and Robert D. Wade – but none had a known connection to a Courtland or a Malvern. Neither did Powers or Jones. It’s quite likely that the two streets’ names were chosen simply because they sounded British and thus upscale.
Find it on the map:
