In 1886, twenty years before Beverly Hills was unleashed upon the world, humble Beverley Avenue (note spelling) was laid out here on a tract owned by Dr. Frederick Preston Howard (1835-1900). Kensington Road was also born on the tract, and given that Dr. Howard was originally from Devon, UK, one may well guess that these British-sounding names meant something to him. Alas, I found no clues, but here’s a mini-biography for you: F.P. Howard served as an itinerant physician in various exotic locales before settling in San Francisco in 1869. Three years later, he married Caroline Huber (1847-1927), whose sister Emeline was the wife of prominent Los Angeles landowner/capitalist Ozro W. Childs. This union brought Dr. Howard down to L.A., where he owned a drugstore and of course got into real estate. Several of his sons would later make it big in the nursery business, most notably Paul – see Allaseba Drive for a little about him.
Find it on the map:
