Notarized DS, twelve pages, 8.5 x 13, March 19, 1937. Declaration of trust for Robert H. Cobb and Victor Ford Collins concerning the sale of the famed Brown Derby. In part: “That the undersigned, Robert H. Cobb and Victor Ford Collins…do…hereby declare that they have received…the property listed in Schedule A hereto attached and made a part thereof. No consideration was paid by said Trustees for said property, or any part thereof, but the same was assigned, transferred and delivered by said H. K. Somborn to said Trustees in trust only, for the following uses and purposes.” Document goes on to list 32 terms and conditions covering the rent, utilities, repairs and alterations, all insurances, and other financial and tax obligations. Document also states “Said Trustees shall pay sixty (60%) per cent of the net income of said trust to Gloria Swanson Somborn, daughter of H. K. Somborn, deceased, provided that prior to reaching the age of eighteen (18) years, if said income…shall exceed Two Hundred and Fifty…Dollars per month.” Document goes on to make provisions for payment should any of the involved parties die. Signed on page 11 “Robert H. Cobb,” and “Victor Ford Collins.” The attached Schedule A lists the four parcels discussed in the document, including “All of the stock of the Brown Derby Corporation Ltd., that has at any time stood in the name of the S and S Holding Company.” Document is still attached by its top edges to its original legal folder. In fine condition.
The Brown Derby restaurants in Los Angeles were famous haunts of celebrities. Opened in 1926, the first restaurant, with its signature dome shaped like a derby hat, became a symbol of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The chain was founded by Robert H. Cobb and Herbert Somborn. Cobb, a prominent restaurateur, supposedly invented the Cobb Salad at the Brown Derby by throwing together leftovers for a midnight snack. Somborn was the president of Equity Pictures Corporation and a former husband of silent film star Gloria Swanson, and this document places income from the Brown Derby in trust for their daughter after his death in 1934. An historic document. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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