A Trip to Oxford Avenue
Note: This is an encore post from 2007.
Here’s an interesting contrast: Oxford Avenue between Washington Boulevard and the Santa Monica Freeway and Oxford Avenue north of Washington.
South of Washington, Oxford seems a bit wider and the land between the curb and the sidewalk is fairly generous. Not so, north of Washington and the lots seem a bit smaller. Wide strips of land between the curb and the sidewalk (more than the 5 feet that is common in much of Los Angeles) were one of the points urged by Charles Mulford Robinson in his “city beautiful” proposal.
Bonus fact: Robinson also said Angelenos should plant lots of jacaranda trees along the streets, so you can thank him for all those purple blooms. First of all, here’s our featured house at 2045 S. Oxford Ave. from 1907.
Note the stucco.
And here are some of the neighboring homes:
Note: More stucco!
All things considered, I’d have to say this stretch of Oxford is a one of the more interesting areas that I’ve visited. The neighborhood is mostly intact and there’s a 1920s-style church at the end of the block next to the Santa Monica.
Now for one of the homes in the 1700 block of Oxford Avenue, which is a little funkier. Recall that the precise address listed in The Times couldn’t be located.
And for the vehicle of the week, here’s a stretch limo I saw at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia:
