In this 1938 photo from Life magazine, we can see the third Brown Derby restaurant at Wilshire Blvd and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. This Derby opened in 1931 so by this time, it had become a well-established member of the Beverly Hills restaurant scene. Rodeo Drive is the one running diagonally through the photo. It gives us a glimpse of how low-key it was back then—pretty much like any other street in America.
Low-key indeed. There are houses on Rodeo Drive! My wife and I had lunch at this Brown Derby in the 70’s.
The only building left standing today (2024) from this photo of Rodeo Drive is the one where Van Cleef & Arpels is located.