The highly anticipated (and much delayed) fourth season of Netflix’s smash hit “Stranger Things” finally debuted last Friday, much to the delight of its legions of fans worldwide. Set in 1986 and told across nine mega-sized episodes (the last two of which are not dropping until July 1), the ambitious storyline takes place in three distinct locales, thereby splitting up the beloved Hawkins, Indiana denizens at the show’s center. (Please be forewarned, spoilers abound throughout this post.)
Much of the action remains in Hawkins, where Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) and his fellow high school heroes are battling a new dark entity from the Upside Down known as Vecna. Meanwhile, about 5,000 miles away, former police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) is alive, but not well, as he sits imprisoned in a remote jail on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. And thanks to some help from Dr. Sam Owens (Paul Reiser), the Byers family has been relocated to Lenora Hills, a fictional California town consisting of wide, open streets and majestic mountains that looks like it was ripped right off the screen from “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
The resemblance is, of course, by design. As series co-creator Matt Duffer explained during Deadline’s recent Contenders Television Panel, “We’ve always wanted to have that like ‘E.T’.-esque suburb aesthetic, which we finally got to do this year.” Instead of shooting in the Tujunga foothills, where the 1982 Steven Spielberg classic was lensed, the “Stranger Things” production team set up shop in New Mexico, utilizing Albuquerque and its environs to pose as the Sunshine State. The Land of Enchantment proved a natural home base for the show considering Netflix purchased Albuquerque Studios in 2018 and, per Deadline, committed to “spend more than $1 billion on local production over the next decade” in the southwestern city.
Some area spots utilized include El Dorado High School at 11300 Montgomery Blvd. NE, which steps in as Lenora Hills High, where Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) now attend classes. (Fun fact: the locale also appeared on “Breaking Bad.”) In episode two, El’s longtime boyfriend, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), touches down at Albuquerque International Sunport for a spring break visit. Roller King, where the couple’s disastrous skating date takes place, can be found at 400 Paisano St. NE, still donning the bright pink and blue set dressing brought in for the “Stranger Things” shoot. And the Lenora Hills police station, where El is taken following her arrest, is the Valencia County Administrative Offices at 444 Luna Ave. SE in Los Lunas, a dusty desert town situated about 25 miles south of Albuquerque.
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Image Credit: Movoto The split-level brick and stucco traditional that Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and her family now call home is easily the most notable Lenora Hills location, though. While the production team initially considered constructing a set for the many scenes taking place at the pad, that idea was ultimately scrapped. Variety reports, “Production designer Chris Trujillo thought about building from the ground up, but there was something more special in finding a practical location . . . An actual house, Trujillo says, meant they could move between inside and outside to make it feel like the family was really in a neighborhood.”
The crew found exactly what they were looking for on a sleepy corner in Albuquerque’s Glenwood Hills community. Purported to be at 4819 Lonzo St. the Byers’ new abode can actually be found at 13212 Montgomery Blvd. NE. (The fictional address is a nod to the residence used in “E.T.”, which is located at 7121 Lonzo St. in real life.) Situated on a spacious 0.32-acre lot dotted with mature pines and overlooking the picturesque Sandia Mountains, the dwelling proved the perfect embodiment of the “‘E.T’.-esque suburb aesthetic” that Matt Duffer and his producer partner/brother, Ross, were seeking. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.)
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Image Credit: Google And I have some amazing news for “Stranger Things” fans! The Byers home was put on the market last October, just a month after production wrapped, eventually selling in December, and the new owners have decided to capitalize on the place’s small-screen fame by offering it as an “ST”-themed vacation rental! Currently available on Airbnb starting at $400 a night for groups of up to 11, the property boasts four bedrooms and four baths in a spacious 4,350 square feet – plenty of room to make all of your Upside Down dreams come true!
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Image Credit: Movoto Playing a central role in the storyline, both the interior and exterior of the residence were featured extensively throughout the first four episodes of season four. As reported by Variety, Trujillo sought out a “‘time capsule’ house that would show the family had taken a socioeconomic step up.” Authentically retro through and through, the Glenwood Hills property clearly fit that bill.
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Image Credit: Movoto Initially built in 1966, the pad’s interior is chock full of such original era detailing as popcorn ceilings, wood-paneling, analog thermostats, floor-to-ceiling stone fireplaces and a gaggle of built-ins, including a maple hutch that spans the length of the dining room. The site proved the ideal retro palette for Chris and his team to work their magic.
The production designer explained to Tudum, “It was a straight-up untouched, un-remodeled time capsule. The lighting fixtures and the hardware that existed in the space were exactly what we wanted. We added carpet and we brought our own paint colors and wallpapers, but the architectural bones of it were just quintessential.”
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Image Credit: Movoto Getting the property ready for its close-up was a painstaking project that, according to a document posted on Reddit, took almost a full month to execute! The filming itself was completed in only 9 days and, following that, the process of restoring the house to its original state lasted an additional month! All in all, the production team worked on the premises from June 9 through September 3, 2021. Their extensive efforts certainly paid off, though, as the Byers house is a gloriously nostalgic representation of ‘80s living.
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Image Credit: Movoto Along with altering the carpet, paint and wallpapering, Trujillo and his team also outfitted the residence with vintage furnishings, added decorative spindles to the pony walls and swapped out the modern appliances for vintage versions. To accomplish the retrofication, Chris scoured estate sales in the Atlanta, Ga. area, where the series is primarily shot. He told Tudum, “Around Atlanta, there are constant estate sales and so many neighborhoods that represent so many demographics. In a lot of cases, these are houses that haven’t changed much since the ’70s or ’80s . . . including all the knickknack[s] and bric-a-brac.” Finding such historic ephemera aiding in getting “all of those life layers just really accurate.”
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Image Credit: Movoto All of the vintage set décor was removed when the production wrapped and has since been replaced with more contemporary, vacation-rental-appropriate furnishings, as evidenced in the Airbnb imagery. Still, the locale remains entirely recognizable from its “Stranger Things” stint. As the current owners state in the listing, “We are trying to keep it as original/authentic as possible.”
In a nice little nod to the show, the massive 1,100-square-foot wood-paneled basement (which did not appear onscreen) has been transformed into a beacon of ‘80s nostalgia, complete with cabinet arcade machines, an air hockey table and a built-in bar. Though the listing notes that the latter is stocked with snacks and soda, no mention is made of Eggo waffles being kept on hand. So, if you book a stay, you may need to supply your own!