L.A. is home to TV’s most iconic houses. This curbside tour leads the way
When my college roommate Mark came to visit me in L.A. for the first time, almost 25 years ago, he had something very specific on his must-visit list. “I want to see ‘The Brady Bunch’ house,” he said.
For the record:
3:24 p.m. July 28, 2023The address for the home used as Phil and Claire’s house on “Modern Family” has been corrected to 10336 Dunleer Drive. A previous version of this story had the wrong house number.
After a little bit of digging (the information superhighway seemed more like an unpaved one-lane road at the time), he was standing in front of the familiar facade grinning from ear to ear, throwing a thumbs-up sign while I snapped his picture.
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We both knew full well that “The Brady Bunch” had actually been filmed on a studio lot and that the house we were standing in front of was a bit of Hollywood magic, appearing only in establishing shots. But it felt special. And more important, it felt accessible. We could drive right up and see a piece of our childhood right through the car window, a few feet off the street.
HGTV is selling the ‘Brady Bunch’ house for $5.5 million. The TV network famously flipped the house for ‘A Very Brady Renovation’ in 2019.
A few years later, while looking for a parking spot, I happened upon another sitcom scene from my childhood — just two blocks from our apartment: the house the Cunninghams (and for a while, Fonzie) called home on “Happy Days.” I remember feeling the same tingle of accessible nostalgia.
Those two drive-by encounters made me realize that there were probably all kinds of curbside closeups out there to be discovered; instantly recognizable pieces of Hollywood history that could be visited — and even photographed — by car. Once I started digging in, I realized I wasn’t wrong at all.
Thanks to being the epicenter of the entertainment industry, the Greater Los Angeles area is home to so many high-profile homes that the entire Southland is practically a studio backlot.
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Because I’m a fan of the comedy genre, I started trying to visit as many sitcom settings as I could. The list here includes some of the most recognizable and street-visible homes and apartment buildings I’ve visited to date.
The first of those criteria is key because, over the years, renovations (and no small amount of hedge growth) have obscured many a once-famous facade: “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” house in Brentwood and the “Three’s Company” apartment building in Santa Monica, to name two I’d hoped to lay eyes on. The second criterion — that these sitcom set pieces be visible from the street — is important because these homes and apartment buildings are private property, so fans paying their respects should take care to do so from the public right of way.
With historic Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes now underway, it seems the perfect time to pay homage to the homes of sitcoms past, and it’s reassuring to know that even if the fall TV schedule ends up being a dumpster fire, some of our fan favorites are just around the corner. Literally.
"The Brady Bunch"
That never-ending fascination has also managed to keep the house, which dates to 1959, in the news. In 2018, HGTV snapped up the Studio City property for $3.5 million (more than twice what it was listed for) and launched a reality renovation show in 2019 — the same year a Massachusetts couple paid $7,777 for a private tour accompanied by Susan “Cindy Brady” Olsen. In May 2023, the renovated house (now with an interior that matches the one seen on TV in the original series) was back on the market — for a cool $5.5 million (with a portion of proceeds pledged to a charity that fights hunger).
However, you can still have your own very Brady moment — from a distance, anyway — for free by parking across the street (just east of the intersection with Klump Avenue) and imagining what ‘70s-era living was like for Mike, Carol and the kids. (Just remember, mom always said don’t play ball in the house.)
"Fresh Off the Boat"
The home’s location at the end of a cul-de-sac — and not far from the 405 Freeway — makes this an easy piece of TV sitcom history to take a drive-up commemorative snap of.
"The Golden Girls"
It looks slightly different than it did when the show began its run in 1985 (though the distinctive geometric white chimney will be recognizable to many). That’s partly because there is now a gate and hedges in front of the home that didn’t appear on-screen. But it’s also because the SoCal facade appeared only in the early seasons of the show. Later ones used exterior shots filmed using a replica of the original facade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla.
This one is worth the drive-by visit though, if only because visiting the Orlando locale is no longer an option. It was torn down a few years back to make way for a Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attraction.
"Happy Days"
To get the best drive-by view of this house — the exterior of which appears to have changed very little since the mid-’80s — try to approach it from the south and stop just opposite the house near 564 N. Cahuenga Blvd., where there’s four hour parking from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (except for street sweeping 12 to 3 p.m. on Mondays).
That should give you more than enough time to see if you can spot Fonzie’s apartment over the garage.
"Insecure"
The best time to swoop in for a souvenir snap (unless you’re in the neighborhood to fetch a package from the purgatory of the cavernous FedEx facility on nearby North Eucalyptus Street) is on a Tuesday when there’s no parking on the opposite side of the street between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. That way, if you approach from West Hyde Street, you can pull over, soak it all in and then move along without snarling traffic — or getting out of your car.
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"
Built in 1908, the three-story Pan Pacific Warehouse (also known as the Nate Starkman Building) may look like just another nondescript former factory building, but it’s actually a longtime, hard-working Hollywood utility player that’s been used for TV and movie productions for decades. In addition to many a “Sunny” appearances, the building’s exterior and/or interior can be seen on the small screen in episodes of “Columbo” and “Parks and Recreation” and on the big screen in the films “Repo Man,” “National Treasure” and “Date Night,” among others.
"Modern Family"
The most central — and closest to the Fox Studio Lot where most of the show was filmed — is the Century City one used for establishing shots of the 1920s duplex that Mitch, Cam and Lily call home.
Because the building is in a permit-parking residential neighborhood six blocks north of West Pico Boulevard, your best bet for snapping a hassle-free photo is to swing by during street-sweeping hours (8 to 11 a.m. Thursdays) so you can alight on the far side of the street just long enough to snap a photo. Then if you’re in the mood for more “Family” facades, you can find Phil and Claire’s house less than two miles southeast (at 10336 Dunleer Drive) and Jay and Gloria’s modern manse roughly seven miles northeast (at 121 S. Cliffwood Drive).
"New Girl"
Getting an as-seen-on-TV photo of this building (which is less than half a mile‘s drive from the faux facade of “It’s Always Sunny’s” Paddy’s Pub) is as easy as parking (or standing) as close to the Arts District Brewing Co. (at 828 Traction Ave.) as possible and shooting facing the intersection of Traction Avenue and Avery Street.
"Not Dead Yet"
A set piece slightly more grounded in reality is the Brookmore Apartments building where Nell lives and entertains the occasional spirit obituary subject. Establishing shots of the building, not far from Old Town Pasadena, are practically an advertisement for the 1924 building thanks to the cheery green and white striped awnings and the name painted in all caps at the top of the north wall. (The building’s website leans into the connection too.)
Because there’s no parking on the side of the busy street opposite the building, if you plan to linger for any length of time, your best bet is to find parking on a nearby side street (I found metered parking just off Walnut Street on Garfield Avenue) and walk to the northeast corner of Walnut Street and North Marengo Avenue, where you’ll find a view that approximates the show’s establishing shots.
"Seinfeld"
Even two-and-a-half decades after the last original episode aired, the building’s exterior is surprisingly recognizable (though the magnolia trees in front have grown noticeably taller). To approximate the view most frequently seen on TV, approach from 8th Street and park on the opposite side of the street just north of the building. Scheduled street cleaning on that side — Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. — makes it slightly easier to find a place to pause momentarily.
Your other option is to swing into the parking lot of the fast-food restaurant right across the street, which “Seinfeld” fans everywhere will be disappointed to learn is a Taco Bell and not a Kenny Rogers Roasters.
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