Brown Derby Restaurant in Los Angeles, California. Photo by John Margolies, 1976. In 1926, Herman Somborn and Robert H. Cobb (inventor of the famed Cobb salad) opened their first Brown Derby restaurant at 3427 Wilshire Blvd. Due to their Hollywood connections (Somborn was the ex-husband of silent-screen goddess Gloria Swanson), the owners of the Brown Derby made it a social hot spot and eventually expanded to four Los Angeles locations. In 1937, the flagship restaurant moved to 3377 Wilshire Blvd., across from the Ambassador Hotel. This new location, designed by Carl Jules Weyl — who would become a famous Hollywood art director — was whimsically built in the shape of a hat, making it an instant and eye-catching architectural landmark. A sign implored passing motorists to “Eat in the hat.” The iconic building was sold in 1975, and, despite public outrage and protest, the site was eventually incorporated into a shopping center in 1980.