When J. Harvey McCarthy laid out Carthay Center in 1922, he and landscape architects Wilbur David Cook Jr. and George Duffield Hall included a unique feature: five pedestrian-only shortcuts through the tract’s residential blocks. Each “way” is named after a California mission: Capistrano, Carmel, San Diego, San Gabriel, and Santa Ynez. These are all paved public sidewalks with streetlights and City of Los Angeles road signs. Neighborhood wanderers will also spot signage for White Esplanade, which honors Senator Stephen M. White (D-CA), and Ramona Court, a nod to the local “Ramona Parlor” chapter of the Native Sons of the Golden West, who advised McCarthy on naming his streets after historic Californians.
Find it on the map:
