In an as-yet unsolvable bureaucratic mystery, in 1979 the former Coolidge Avenue (named in 1921, possibly for Calvin Coolidge, who was then Warren G. Harding‘s VP) was rechristened North Coolidge Avenue by city ordinance. Why? And why then? And why “North”? I wish I could conclusively answer these questions. I suppose it’s possible that someone with the City felt that this Coolidge Avenue conflicted with L.A.’s other Coolidge Avenue, way out in Mar Vista – and yet the two streets had peacefully coexisted for over fifty years. Moreover, while this Coolidge is technically further north than Mar Vista’s, it’s much more obviously east. Did property owners fear that East Coolidge Avenue sounded too “barrio”? Who knows. In any event, I assure you that there is no South Coolidge Avenue; whatever the reason behind this street’s name, it has nothing to do with cardinal directions.
Find it on the map:
