Los Feliz: Site of Brown Derby Sells for $9.25 Million

The building at 4500 Los Feliz Boulevard is beloved for many reasons.

It was once owned by director Cecile B. DeMille and was the site of the last of the four original Brown Derby locations.

Reopening as The Derby in the early 1990s, the building's back bar area re-gained notoriety as a location in the movie "Swingers."

At the same time, its Los Feliz Boulevard frontage became the home of one of the Louise's Italian food restaurants, which closed just recently.

On Tuesday came this news: the 14,000-square-foot structure has a new owner.

According to a press release,  the CMC Asset Management LLC, a Los Feliz investor group, bought the retail and restaurant space for $9.25 million dollars.

The press release says the new owners plan to operate the property as is.

From what Echo Park-Silver Lake Patch could tell Tuesday that means the launch of the Mess Hall gastropub will go on as planned.

Workers appeared busy and the administrative staff told us that the restaurant should open to the public just after Labor Day.

A bustling Chase Branch is also at the site. Two-lower level retail spaces were empty, however, with "For Lease" signs evident.

Sellers are a group of investors including Duncan Lemmon, John Battle, Mike Adler. They said they originally planned a mixed-use complex, but had to regroup after the building was named a Los Angeles Historic Cultural landmark in 2006.