The Reseda neighborhood was born in 1911 as a town called Marian, in honor of L.A. Times secretary Marian Otis Chandler (1866-1952), whose father Harrison Gray Otis and husband Harry Chandler were subdividing the Valley that year. Reseda Avenue (later “Boulevard”) was one of the first streets on this massive subdivision. Since Reseda odorata is the Latin name for a fragrant flower called mignonette (imagine if this street went by “Mignonette”!), some say this street was named for the flower. Not impossible, since other 1911 Valley streets were named for trees – don’t bother looking for Maple, Oak, or Palm avenues, they’re long gone – but back in those days, “reseda” was much better known as an olive-like shade of green that was popular in women’s fashion. Such a verdant word would have reflected the Valley’s pre-industrial landscape. So I posit that the name stems from the color, not the plant. In any event, the town of Marian was renamed Reseda in 1922 when residents wanted a post office and Marian – or something like it – was already taken.
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