The former 3rd Street was changed to Wilson Avenue on July 5th, 1918. Although Wilson is a common surname, I believe our honoree is President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924). He was in office at the time, numerous places were patriotically named for him during World War I, and since this street’s rechristening was by city ordinance it makes sense that Glendale’s Board of Trustees would choose to honor the sitting POTUS over some random Wilson. Glendale’s other lost ordinal streets: 1st became Lexington, 2nd became California, 4th became Broadway, 5th became Harvard, 6th was absorbed into Colorado, 7th became Elk, 8th was coopted by Maple, 9th became Windsor, and 10th became Garfield. This didn’t all happen at the same time.
Los Angeles Street Names – their origins, their histories, their meanings