Building linked to O.J. Simpson murder trial sells for $25 million

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Photo by Scott Bridges

Today, it's home to Peet's Coffee and Tea, but in 1994, the Brentwood building housed Mezzaluna, suddenly became infamous as the Italian restaurant where Nicole Brown Simpson ate her final meal; where Ron Goldman worked as a waiter. The two were brutally killed the night of June 14 that year.

Scott Bridges

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Today, it's home to Peet's Coffee and Tea, but in 1994, the Brentwood building housed Mezzaluna, suddenly became infamous as the Italian restaurant where Nicole Brown Simpson ate her final meal; where Ron Goldman worked as a waiter. The two were brutally killed the night of June 14 that year.

Former USC Heisman Trophy winner and NFL star O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the double-murder charge in 1995 after a lengthy televised trial that brought unwelcome attention to Mezzaluna, driving away its base of regulars. The restaurant closed in 1997.

The 87-year-old building, which remains historically linked to the Murder of the (last) Century, was sold for somewhere for about $25 million -- terms of the deal were not disclosed but local real estate experts told the Los Angeles Times that the price was in that ballpark.

Real estate investment firm GPI Cos. -- located across the street -- purchased the 12,000-square-foot retail complex at 1152-11770 San Vicente Blvd., on a poorly designed intersection at Gorham and Montana avenues. The seller, an undisclosed family trust, had owned the property for more than four decades.

"Properties here trade so infrequently," Drew Planting, managing partner of GPI, told the Times. "This is one of the great neighborhoods of Los Angeles."

Planting predicted that the high-rent district will continue to improve. Prominent L.A. shopping center developer Rick Caruso recently purchased the unfrequented Early World restaurant, billionaire Charles Munger plans to develop the former Dutton's bookstore site and Hillstone Restaurant Group is planning a new eater -- all three on San Vicente.

"The area is really becoming vibrant," Planting said. "People are investing fresh capital in the area."

Scott Bridges has covered the Los Angeles scene for over ten years as a journalist and food critic. Follow him on the Huffington Post