The idea for what is now The Derby was originally conceived in 1926 by the legendary film director Cecil B. De Mille and opened in 1929 as Willard's Chicken Inn. It was the "in" gathering place for Hollywood's movie stars. The dome shaped design of the roof actually had a unique purpose. Water was pumped up to the top of the dome and then ran down the sides into a moat to make this one of the first "air conditioned" buildings. The restaurant, which kept live poultry in cages on the premises, had the slogan: "Chickens whose feet never touch the ground."