Allied Model Trains Building Sold

Tova Capital acquired the "Allied Model Trains" building, a 12,600 square foot retail structure in Culver City. The building is a scaled down replica of Los Angeles' famed Union Station with its curved arched windows and 20-foot bell tower. Tova will renovate the building into premiere creative office space while maintaining the building's distinctive Mission Revival/Art Deco architecture. Plans call for a complete upgrade of the building's interior, installation of new windows and the addition of outdoor space.

According to Curbla.com, Tova Capital purchased the property for $8.2 million.

The wave of big-name tech and media companies like Apple, Amazon and HBO that's washed over Culver City has resulted in a need for even more creative space, especially for small and mid-sized companies in the same fields, Tova CEO Ron Harari said in a statement.

"We have been seeing strong demand emerge from tenants seeking creative space in west Culver City because of its ease of access and close proximity to the coveted Westside neighborhoods," said Daniel Pickart of Industry Partners, who represented Tova in the sale.

The 12,600-square-foot building was built in 1989 for Allied Model Trains, a hobby shop for model train enthusiasts that had been in business in Culver City for over seven decades. The train store moved out of the building in 2007, and the structure most recently housed a Samy's Camera shop.

Intended as a scaled-down replica of Downtown's Union Station, the building at 4411 Sepulveda Boulevard was "regarded as the Holy Grail of train stores by model train hobbyists," says Tova in a statement. It occupies a full city block in western Culver City and features curved arched windows, terra cotta tile work, and an 18-foot-tall bell tower.

The sale follows recent commercial building sales along that stretch of Sepulveda Blvd. Recently the building that housed the Culver City Observer and in the next block aquariums were both sold.