“Pass” refers to the Cahuenga Pass. Christened no later than 1914, Pass Avenue originally connected to the Cahuenga Pass Road, hence its name. Of course, Cahuenga Pass Road is now the 101 freeway, straddled by Cahuenga Boulevard. Meanwhile, Pass Avenue endured several identity crises of its own. In the early days, most people preferred to call its hilly southern stretch (between the L.A. River and the Cahuenga Pass) “Dark Canyon Road”. That stretch became part of Hollywood Way in 1924, but you’ve known it as Barham Boulevard since 1932.
Find it on the map:
