New Depot Street was first cited in a November 29th, 1884 Los Angeles (Daily) Times article about “Mr. Beaudry” – that would be former mayor Prudent Beaudry or his brother Victor; the two developed a great deal of this area – “improving” this roadway at a personal expense of $8,000. So we more or less know who named this street and when. It’s the why that’s the tricky part. As there was no depot, new or otherwise, on or near this street, the name must refer to the Southern Pacific Railroad depot that was located where Los Angeles State Historic Park now lies. Said depot, later known as the “River Station”, opened in 1876 but was in fact torn down and rebuilt in May 1883. New enough for New Depot Street? Perhaps, but here’s the thing: newspapers had been calling it the “new depot” all the while! I assume that was to distinguish it from the SP’s old depot on Alameda, which the company began occupying in 1873. (It previously belonged to the city’s first railroad: the short-lived Los Angeles & San Pedro.) So why name this street after a train station half a mile away? Could a body see it from here, before buildings and trees blocked the view? That’s the only plausible theory I can offer.
Find it on the map:
