The former Esther Avenue was rechristened Elmer Avenue by city ordinance in 1924 to avoid conflicts with a different Esther Avenue in West L.A. (Even though this Esther predated the other by years, the City had annexed North Hollywood in late 1923 so this Esther was considered the “newer” street.) The quick and dirty rationale: civil engineers figured “Elmer” was close enough to “Esther”. But if you want an actual namesake, you can take your pick from local farmer Elmer Ellsworth Tomson (1863-1925); Elmer Edwin Osborne (1918-1994), whose grandfather Charles was postmaster of Lankershim (NoHo’s old moniker); Fred Elmer Bakman (1868-1943), whose family is honored by Bakman Avenue; and Elmer Stanley Frieburg (1900-1974), whose Swedish parents owned 65 acres of fruit orchards in the area (see Satsuma Avenue). He and his wife Annie ran the family farm for 13 years, their corn and peaches being local favorites, but with the Valley rapidly transforming into suburbia after WWII they had to move their ranch further and further west until finally unloading it in 1954.
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