It is named for French-American warehouseman Edouard Naud, who built a warehouse at the junction in 1878.[1] Naud Junction was marked by a signal tower built at Alameda and Ord streets in 1898. This was torn down in 1940, after Union Station was built.[2]
Boxing pavilion
From 1905 to 1913, Naud Junction was the location of the city of Los Angeles' primary boxing pavilion, which was built by promoter Thomas McCarey.[3] The pavilion paid host to both the world middleweight championship between Hugo Kelly and Tommy Burns, a heavyweight championship bout between Burns and Marvin Hart, and a featherweight championship bout between Abe Attell and Frankie Nell.[4] McCarey said the greatest fight he ever witnessed was a match at Naud Junction between "two Negro fighters," Jack Johnson and Denver Ed Martin. McCarey told a reporter, "Neither of them made a mistake for twelve rounds, and Denver Ed finally thought he had fooled Johnson, and we saw one of the greatest exhibitions in ring history from then on. Johnson finally won a decision that time and later stopped Denver Ed. I believe either one could have whipped any man that ever lived at that time."[5]
Naud Junction was also witness to a Billy Sunday crusade in 1909.[6]
The Naud Junction boxing arena burned down on September 22, 1915.[3]