Historic
Hollywood hotspot in need of saving
Our
view
Gin
and vermouth have been making martini-muddled
fun in a longtime Hollywood hotspot,
the Brown Derby, for years. The restaurant
represents the golden days of Hollywood,
the original glamour where stars showed
the people the money.
This is why the potential plan to tear down the Derby and replace it with housing
and other commercial development is both wrong and uncivilized.
Los Angeles already has enough people as it is so it doesn’t need more
condos. It already has enough commuters crowding the freeways. It’s time
to take an anti-expansionist stand and a pro-tradition stance on this one.
The Derby represents the past and proud tradition of Los Angeles during its
transition from a dusty desert town to a major world metropolis. Hollywood
has been and still is a major entertainment symbol. Such symbols are worthy
of our respect and admiration.
It’s atrocious that some contractors develop without adequate consideration
of the past or even the future. Build, build, build. Build for what? Money,
money, money.
The power of capitalism and coveting the all-mighty dollar is not generally
morally wrong. Though some may disagree and argue against capitalism’s
superficial monetary gains, it is a force that makes the world go ’round.
There can be little denial of capitalism’s influence to power a strong
economy.
However, when capitalistic developers want to trample over land and landmarks
to satiate their desires, we step back and wonder if it’s worth the cost.
Let’s consider what’s happening in much of California at the present
time.
Land that was once beautiful is being bulldozed to build malls and suburban
track housing. Fields that were once adorned with the collective smell of orange
trees now stink of rush-hour smog because a road was needed to allow access
to that other once-beautiful land of newly-built suburban houses.
Consider the fact that there aren’t many orange groves in Orange County
anymore and that only a generation ago there were bean fields within the Los
Angeles city limits.
Let not these drastic measures of change affect the single remaining Brown
Derby restaurant. Los Angeles must protect its history and traditions, though
it may seem hard to find or care about old traditions while stuck on the 405
freeway.
Advocates for saving the Brown Derby should take faith and consider the example
of saving the oldest surviving McDonald’s restaurant in Downey. Though
not the first McDonald’s, the Downey location was the fourth built and
due to effects of the 1994 Northridge earthquake combined with the restaurant’s
lack of modern conveniences, it was considered for demolition.
However, with both the public and preservationist demands, McDonald’s
spent two years restoring it. Customers today can visit the original restuarant,
plus an adjoining giftshop and museum.
A historical piece of Southern California was saved. This too should happen
for the Brown Derby.
In an Associated Press article, Brown Derby manager Jesse Hlueik said, “This
was the last home of the Brown Derby, the last one. It would be a shame if
all this history got knocked down for condos and Olive Gardens.”
The Olive Garden is a pleasant restaurant but it has no significant sentimental
value to Los Angeles. The Brown Derby does.
Los Angeles should hold the last remnants of its legacy and traditions. |
