I’ll take any opportunity to post a photo of the first Brown Derby restaurant, especially if it’s in color. Technically, the original first Brown Derby stood at 3427 Wilshire. But that land was acquired by someone else, and the big hat was recreated a block at a half east to the northeast corner of Alexandria Ave, opposite the Ambassador Hotel. This photo is from 1973, which means it still had about a dozen years before it fell victim to redevelopment.

This is roughly the same view in November 2021. The Gaylord hotel is still around, and we can glimpse what’s left of the Derby—it’s that dome on the far left.