Perhaps no house in all of moviedom is more famous or beloved than the idyllic Colonial where George Banks (Steve Martin) and his family lived in the 1991 comedy “Father of the Bride.” So iconic is the property that it practically serves as a central character in the story. As George says, “This house is warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and looks spectacular with Christmas lights. It’s a great house and I never want to move.” He does change his tune briefly in the 1995 sequel, “Father of the Bride Part II” — which turns 25 this week! — by selling the home to Mr. Habib (Eugene Levy) for a mere 24 hours before buying it back at a highly elevated price. Such a pad is definitely worth the hullabaloo!
Said to be at 24 Maple Drive in posh San Marino, Calif., the charming two-story clapboard residence is actually located at 843 S. El Molino Avenue in neighboring Pasadena. Well, the front of it is, at least. The backyard scenes, including the tear-jerking basketball segments, were shot at a similar-looking Colonial a little over two miles away at 500 N. Almansor St. in Alhambra. However, the driveway, white-picket-fence-lined yard and picturesque vine-covered façade audiences fell in love with can all be found at the Pasadena house looking very much as they did onscreen — minus the snow, swans and “tulip border” seen in the 1991 film, which were all just set dressing.
The four-bedroom, four-bath, 4,339-square-foot dwelling was originally built in 1913. Though George explains that the wedding of his daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), the subject of the first film, cost more than the house (welcome to the ’90s, Mr. Banks!), today Zillow values the place at almost $3 million. Owning a piece of movie history, though? Well, you can hardly put a price on that.
