PCAD - Brown Derby Restaurant #1, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Structure Type: built works - commercial buildings - restaurants

Designers: [unspecified]

Dates: constructed 1926

Wilshire Boulevard and South Alexandria Avenue
Beverly Hills, CA 90010

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Herbert Somborn, Wilson Mizner, and Sid Grauman developed the idea for the first Brown Derby Restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard, just across from the Ambassador Hotel; supposedly, movie tycoon, Jack Warner, backed the venture at the beginning; Gloria Somborn Daly, the daughter of actress Gloria Swanson and restaurant owner Herbert Somborn, ran the restaurant for many years; she died 12/11/2000 of brain cancer in Carmel, CA;

All of the restaurant, save for the derby top, was demolished; the derby was transported to a mini-mall, where it was painted silver and placed atop the Korean restaurant/karaoke bar Cafe Namuhana, in 1999;

PCAD id: 2221

Publications

Duke, Donald, "The Brown Derby", Branding Iron, 7-8, Fall 1990. "Brown Derby #1 article 1984", California Magazine, 61, 8/1984. "Somborn, Herbert K., Obituary", Daily Variety, 3, col 1, 1/3/1934. Hancock, Ralph, Fabulous Boulevard, 299, 1949. "Eat in a hat!", Los Angeles Conservancy News, 7, Spring 1980. Komaiko, Leslee, "Cobb salad days: does'The Brown Derby'remember its past life?", Los Angeles Downtown News, 12-13, 4/5/1999. "Brown Derby's derby saved after agreement", Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, section A: 9, 9/23/1980. "Classic Cobb", Los Angeles Magazine, 294, 10/1985. "Brown Derby closes doors amid confusion; L.A. landmark", Los Angeles Times, part I: 1, col 3-5, 9/21/1980. "Brown Derby #1 moved, 1986", Los Angeles Times, part II: 1, 6/19/1986. "Brown Derby saved--for now; no permit", Los Angeles Times, part I: 1, col 4, 9/22/1980. "Brown Derby donated to two groups; preservationists must now find place to hang their'hat'", Los Angeles Times, part I: 3, col 2-4, "Another version of demolition derby", Los Angeles Times, part V: 1, col 1-6, "Hollywood Heritage Inc. taking reuse proposals Brown Derby", Los Angeles Times, part IX: 34, col 1-3, 10/19/1980. "Brown Derby settles suit", Los Angeles Times, part II: 1, col 6, 11/30/1978. Oliver, Myrna, "Gloria Daly; ran the original Brown Derby", Los Angeles Times, B6, 12/20/2000. "Brown Derby's angel did best to save restaurant fought for landmark", Los Angeles Times, part I: 1, col 1-2, 3, 9/26/1980. Heimann, Jim, Out with the stars, 217, 1985. Thoreau, Sharon, "Let's dine out", Westways, 30, 11/1937.