Title supplied by cataloger.; In episode #10001 of "California's Gold," Huell Howser visits the Los Angeles Public Library to see this collection of Ansel Adams photographs. The Brown Derby had four locations: Beverly Hills, Los Feliz, Hollywood, and Wilshire Boulevard. The first Brown Derby Restaurant, shown here, was built in 1926 and is generally referred to as the "Wilshire Brown Derby." Designed in part by J.R. Davidson, it measured 28 feet in diameter and 17 1/2 feet in height and was the only one of the four restaurant buildings that resembled a bowler hat. It was first located at 3427 Wilshire Boulevard, across the street from the Ambassador Hotel, but was later moved one block over to 3347 Wilshire Boulevard. In 1975, it was closed and sold. After the restaurant was demolished in 1980, the shell of the hat-shaped dome was restored, painted orange, and incorporated into the design of the Brown Derby Plaza, a strip mall at 3377 Wilshire Boulevard.; Around 1939, Ansel Adams was commissioned by Fortune magazine to photograph a series of images for an article covering the aviation history of the Los Angeles area. For the project, Adams took 217 photographs showing everyday life, businesses, street scenes, aerospace employees, and a variety of other subjects, but when the article, "City of Angels," appeared in the March 1941 issue, only a few of the images were included. In the early 1960s, approximately 20 years later, Adams rediscovered all of the photographs among papers at his home in Carmel, and sent a letter of inquiry to the Los Angeles Public Library, asking if the institution would be interested in receiving the collection as a donation. In his letter, Adams expressed that, "the weather was bad over a rather long period and none of the pictures were very good" and "if they have no value whatsoever, please dispose of them in the incenerator [sic]." He went on to write that "I would imagine that they represent about $100.00 minimum value." In response, the Los Angeles Public Library gladly accepted the gift of 135 contact prints and 217 negatives, and the staff concluded that a fair value for the collection would be $150.00. The intersection of Wilshire Boulevard (foreground) and S. Alexandria Avenue (left), right outside the Brown Derby Restaurant. An original "Wilshire Lantern" street light is seen on the corner.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Brown Derby Restaurant (Los Angeles, Calif.) Mimetic architecture--California--Los Angeles Streets--California--Los Angeles Lost architecture--California--Los Angeles Restaurants--California--Los Angeles Wilshire Boulevard (Los Angeles, Calif.) Ansel Adams Fortune Magazine Collection photographs
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
