Welcome to L.A. Street Names, the origin stories of street names across Los Angeles County, from the shortest cul-de-sacs to the longest boulevards. Mysteries solved, myths debunked, scandals exposed, history revealed. This is an ongoing project with more than 1,700 streets – and growing. See FAQ for more information.
Featured Major Street
St Andrews Place
This street takes its name from the “home of golf”: the Old Course at St Andrews. Located in Fife, Scotland, St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world, dating back to the early 1400s. Our St Andrews was laid out in 1901 on the W.G. Nevin tract. It was originally just two blocks long, as were its three fellow “Places”: Manhattan, Gramercy, and Wilton. At the time, the Los Angeles Country Club was right across the street (at Pico and Western), hence this street’s golfy name. Tract owner William G. Nevin (1855-1902) was himself a club member, and it’s certainly possible that he and his investors had already called dibs on this 40 acre chunk of land in 1899, while they were helping the golf course move here from its previous location a few blocks east. Capitalists! See Gramercy Place for more on Nevin.