Like many Silver Lake streets (Rowena, Waverly, etc.), Avenel owes its name to Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). The fictitious Avenel family is at the center of Scott’s 1820 novel The Monastery, a historical romance that takes place during the mid-16th century. Its setting is based on Scotland’s Melrose Abbey, located close to Scott’s “Abbotsford” estate. Avenel Street was introduced in 1887 on the Ivanhoe tract – as was a street called Melrose Avenue, in honor of Scott’s beloved abbey. This latter street eventually became Griffith Park Boulevard and bore no resemblance to L.A.’s more famous Melrose Avenue.
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