Built by the Los Angeles Pacific Railway in 1907, Culver City’s Ivy Substation was named for the land development in which it stood; it was among the largest substations that stepped down electric power for the railway’s descriptively named “Balloon Route” connecting Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. Like railway stations, electrical substations and powerhouses proved natural candidates for Mission Revival architecture, since they demanded cavernous enclosed spaces proportionally similar to those of the mission churches. The proliferation of arched windows and the espadaña gables visible at the rear edge of the roof became a common sight on such structures. The clearstoried monitor atop the roof, a typical feature of industrial buildings of the era, admitted additional daylight to the transformer hall. No longer in service, the substation was renovated in 1993 with funds from the Culver City Redevelopment Agency.