Why “Oaks” and not “Oak”? A Monrovian could tell you: it’s because the street gets its name from “The Oaks”, the mansion that Monrovia founder William Newton “Daddy” Monroe built for his family in 1885. It was the second house in town (the first was on Monroe Place) and was located not on Oaks Avenue itself but around the corner on Primrose. The Monroes only lived there for four years – they had to leave because Daddy got a railroad contracting gig in Chile – so the house was converted into the Monrovia Ladies’ College in 1890. However, during their brief stay, the Monroes allegedly played host to Sir Arthur Sullivan, of Gilbert & Sullivan. (He did visit L.A. in 1885, and even purchased some property in Lincoln Heights, but there’s no contemporaneous account of him visiting this house.) The Oaks is now a private residence.
Find it on the map:
