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Ivy Substation
Los Angeles Pacific Company Ivy Park Substation.JPG
Address 9070 Venice Boulevard
Culver City, California
Owner City of Culver City
Operator The Actors' Gang
Capacity 99
Opened 1992
Los Angeles Pacific Company Ivy Park Substation
Location 9015 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, California
Area 1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
Built 1907
Architectural style Mission/Spanish Revival
NRHP reference No. 81000155
Added to NRHP March 25, 1981

The Ivy Substation (also called the Ivy Park Substation or Culver Substation) is a theatre in Culver City, California. It has 99 seats. This building used to hold special power equipment for electric trains and the nearby Ivy station. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 because of its important history.

History of the Ivy Substation

The Ivy Substation is a one-story building shaped like a rectangle. It was built in 1907. It has a special design called the Mission Revival style. It was first built by the Los Angeles Pacific Railway to help power their electric trains. This railway later became part of the Pacific Electric railway in 1911.

LAP Substation at Ivy
The Ivy Substation, photographed in 1909.

The building is made of brick covered in stucco. Inside, it once held large machines called rotary mechanical rectifiers. These machines had a very important job. They changed very high voltage alternating current (AC) into 600 volt direct current (DC). This DC power was needed to run the electric streetcars and interurban trains. These trains included the PE's Venice Short Line, Redondo Beach via Playa del Rey Line, and Santa Monica Air Line.

The substation kept working until 1953. After that, all the old equipment was taken out. The City of Los Angeles bought the building, but it stayed empty for many years. In the early 1990s, the Culver City Redevelopment Agency and the City of Los Angeles worked together. They fixed up the building to turn it into a community theatre. Today, it is used by a theatre group called The Actors' Gang.

The Ivy Substation was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is because it played a big part in the history of transportation in Los Angeles. Its unique architecture also made it special.

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