Of the various Workmans who made their name in 19th century Los Angeles, the granddaughter of San Fernando founder Charles Maclay claimed that Gramps named Workman Street after William Henry Workman (1839-1918), who was mayor of Los Angeles at that time (late 1880s). You can read more about him at Workman Street in Lincoln Heights. That said, since most streets in this neighborhood honor L.A.’s earliest movers and shakers, the true namesake for this street might be Workman’s uncle, the original William Workman (1802-1876), a pioneer financier who met a tragic end: see Temple City’s Workman Avenue for the story. Finally we have Alfred Workman (1843-1931), an unrelated Englishman who was a major San Fernando Valley wheat grower in the 1880s, but it’s not likely that he was important enough to get his own street.
Find it on the map:
