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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake In person, the 6-bedroom, 6-bath, 4,304-square-foot house does not disappoint. Not only is it stunning, but absolutely huge! It seems to go on forever!
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake Situated on a 0.93-acre lot, the 1895 beauty, which, per newspaper reports, was added onto in 1928, boasts a den, a library, an eat-in kitchen, a formal dining room, a spiral staircase, maid’s quarters, beamed ceilings, hardwood flooring throughout and a plethora of built-ins. There are a whopping four fireplaces, a pool, a hot tub, a tennis court, a victory garden, and, according to a 1944 real estate listing, 27 fruit-bearing trees!
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake We are first introduced to the dwelling in “Perry Mason’s” fourth episode, titled “Chapter 4,” as Sister Alice is shown recovering at home after experiencing a seizure during one of her sermons. The pad then goes on to appear regularly throughout the show’s remaining 4 episodes.
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake The size and grandeur of the place certainly illustrate the success and popularity of Sister Alice, a character loosely based upon real-life evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, who presided over leagues of followers at Echo Park’s Angelus Temple from the 1920s through the 1940s. Like Aimee, Alice utilizes stunts, costumes, and wild histrionics to spectacular effect in her fantastical sermons.
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake Quite a bit of the home was changed for the production. The exterior paint color was either physically swapped pre-filming or digitally made to appear lighter in post-production. Some curtains and foliage were also added to the premises for the shoot. Most notably, though, the metal fence running along the perimeter of the property was removed. The residence was much better off with the “Perry Mason” alterations. The fencing, especially, takes away from the structure’s warmth and beauty.
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake Nonetheless, it is an extraordinary residence, both onscreen and off.
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Image Credit: HBO Along with the front exterior, the home’s actual backyard appeared several times on “Perry Mason.”
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Image Credit: HBO The real-life interior was also utilized in the production. Of shooting the series at actual locations rather than studio-built sets, leading man Matthew Rhys said, “It adds to your experience of it in an unconscious way . . . You can’t help but believe the world you’re living in.” It is not hard to see how the property’s gorgeous detailing, Old Hollywood style, and grandness would enhance any actor’s performance.
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Image Credit: HBO The pad’s spiral staircase is the stuff of dreams! That tilework!
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Image Credit: HBO According to “Architectural Digest,” the color scheme and furnishings of the mansion were chosen for their church-like feel.
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Image Credit: HBO Sister Alice’s moody bedroom was set decorator Halina Siwolop’s favorite production space, especially the bed which, per “Architectural Digest,” was an eBay find. The magazine explains, “That room in the McKeegan Mansion set features a charming canopied bed that was chosen for its angelic quality, denoting the bedroom of a little girl who is still looked after by her overbearing mother.” I don’t think it is an accident that as Sister Alice grows and pulls away from her mom in later episodes, she moves the bed to the room of houseguest Emily Dodson (Gayle Rankin).
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake Siwolop tells “AD,” “What I love about L.A. are these architectural gems that you have to scratch the surface and dig to find. It gave me an appreciation for the history of the city that most people don’t know about.” “Perry Mason” sure unearthed a lot of those “architectural gems” for me. So expect many more locations from the series to come!
Until next time, Happy Stalking!
Stalk It: The McKeegan mansion from the “Perry Mason” reboot is located at 233 Columbia Street in Pasadena. Disclaimer: Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.
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