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
Coliseum Street
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was proposed in 1920 – “memorial” referred to the soldiers of World War I – and opened in 1923. But the first bit of Coliseum Street, where it intersects with present-day Obama Boulevard, wasn’t laid out until 1937… two miles away from the Coliseum! It’s possible that developers hoped that Coliseum Street’s name might take over Rodeo Road – Obama Blvd.’s original name – and thus lead to the popular arena. If not, then the whole thing was just a marketing ploy: similar to Leimert Park being advertised in 1927 as being “almost in the shadow” of the Coliseum, this street’s name may have been designed to convince prospective buyers that their “stadium-adjacent” properties would turn great profits.