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The Derby's got a lot of livin' to do
You may have heard that the owners of the Los Feliz haunt The Derby are hoping to sell the place. Instead of an icon of the swing dance world, instead of a cheapish but not unpleasant Louise's Trattoria, instead of a nice one-story restaurant with parking, the lot at the corner of Hillhurst and Los Feliz would house 88 condos piled into a claustrophobic 5-story monstrosity. Built in 1928, The Derby didn't become an offshoot of the original Wilshire Blvd Derby until 1940, when its domed roof was perfected. In 1996, it starred in the movie Swingers with Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau. Now local activists, who have the support of the LA Conservancy's Modern Committee, have launched SavetheDerby.com to focus efforts to halt the demolition and development plans. Save the Derby is also on MySpace — like so many other 77-year-olds with style.
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