You wouldn’t think such a generically, well, pleasant-sounding street name would have much of a history, yet Pleasant Avenue’s roots go back to 1875, when John Lazzarevich (1829-1892), a grocer from the Austrian Empire, established the Mount Pleasant tract here. It was indeed located on a hill, if not a “mount” per se, and I’m sure it was quite pleasant in 1875, when Boyle Heights was still more or less countryside. (Lazzarevich in fact cofounded Boyle Heights that year with William H. Workman and Isaias W. Hellman.) This street went nameless until around 1883. Initially dubbed Pleasant Street, it became Pleasant Avenue in 1890. Family footnote: Lazzarevich’s brother-in-law was George Cummings, another Austrian national who made his mark in Boyle Heights. Each married a López sister – Juana and Sacramenta, respectively – and the López family had once owned this land.
Find it on the map:
