Although a naval-inspired street isn’t unusual for an oceanside town, Admiral Avenue’s namesake may surprise you: it was originally called Admiral Togo Avenue, in honor of Heihachiro Togo (1848-1934), hero of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The street name was filed on October 10th, 1905 as part of the Venice del Rey Tract No. 2, owned by Ernst and Martha Leo. (See Beethoven Street for more on them.) A month earlier, the Japanese Navy under Togo’s command had defeated the Russian Empire in the Russo–Japanese War. Given what we know about Ernst Leo – born in Prague, married in Latvia, supposedly of noble birth (he called himself “Count”), this street may have reflected some anti-Russian sentiment on his part. (Nearby Bonaparte Avenue was named for another enemy of Russia.) The street sat vacant for years; it was still labeled Admiral Togo Avenue on a 1928 map, but by that time the tract was finally being developed and “Togo” would soon disappear.
Find it on the map:
