Detroit Street was named by local landowner Lizzie Thurber Hay (1852-1936) on her Formosa tract, subdivided in 1893 west of the present-day intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. Although it didn’t appear on the original tract map, it was on the same piece of land, and the tract’s other street names (now lost) had personal meanings for Mrs. Hay: Sutherland Avenue (now part of La Brea) took her maiden name; Thurber Avenue (now part of Hollywood) took her mother’s; Jennie Avenue (now part of Franklin) honored a Hay cousin or niece; Francis Avenue (now Fuller) was for her son Francis Haynes Hay. Most tellingly, Michigan Avenue (now Hawthorn) was for her home state… and it intersected with Detroit Street. Lizzie T. Hay hailed from Saginaw, 100 miles away from Detroit, but it’s logical to conclude that she named this street to honor Michigan’s largest city.
Find it on the map:
