A slew of shows will be leaving the airwaves in 2022, with devoted fans having to say their goodbyes to “Bull,” ”Black-ish,” “The Crown,” “Ozark” and “Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol.” The cancelation of the latter, which was just announced this week, didn’t come as a surprise. Eagerly anticipated, the Peacock series never really became a crowd favorite. Though the first few episodes made for an intriguing watch, things quickly went downhill from there and the ten-hour journey to get to the end proved tedious and slow, with audiences largely tapping out. As an Entertainment Weekly commenter stated of the show’s recent axing, “Condolences to both viewers.”
Based on Dan Brown’s 2009 novel “The Lost Symbol,” the tale was reworked for the small screen to serve as the origin story of symbologist Robert Langdon (Ashley Zukerman), who figures at the center of the best-selling author’s popular “The Da Vinci Code” franchise. The storyline otherwise follows the same basic premise as the book, with a young Langdon called in to help locate his mentor, Peter Solomon (Eddie Izzard), who has been kidnapped by an evil zealot intent on learning the heavily-guarded secrets of the Freemasons.
The show’s main blunder, in my opinion, at least (its thoroughly anti-climactic and unsatisfying conclusion notwithstanding), is the fact that while set in Washington, D.C., filming very obviously did not take place there. The production instead utilized CGI to transform Ontario, Canada and its environs into a not-so-convincing replacement.
One spot did stand out as a believable D.C.-area locale, however. Featuring a Classic Revival/Georgian façade with Corinthian columns, green tiled roof and immaculate surrounding gardens, the massive estate belonging to Peter and his family looks like it was plucked right out of an upscale Maryland or Virginia suburb. In truth, though, the property can be found about 40 miles northeast of Toronto at 270 Simcoe St. N. in the city of Oshawa.
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Image Credit: Parkwood Estate My first thought upon laying eyes on the stately Solomon homestead in episode one was that it looked like a museum. And as it turns out, it is – though it was originally built as a private residence. Known as the Parkwood Estate, the mammoth property was constructed for R. Samuel McLaughlin, of the prestigious McLaughlin Motor Car and General Motors of Canada companies, as a family home.
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Image Credit: Parkwood Estate The auto mogul commissioned Toronto’s Darling and Pearson architecture firm to design the structure, with London-based furniture manufacturers Waring & Gillow brought in to outfit the interiors. The completed residence is a marvel of groin-vaulted ceilings, stained glass and hand-painted murals.
Boasting an incredible 55 rooms spread throughout a whopping 15,000 square feet, the house is not only stunning inside and out but was also far technologically advanced for its day, featuring such then modern amenities as an intercom system, an elevator, a central vacuum system, remote-controlled exterior lighting, air conditioning and a walk-in refrigerator.
Additional luxe creature comforts included a squash court, a conservatory, an Aeolian organ, a bowling alley, a billiard room, a game room and a heated indoor pool.
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Image Credit: Parkwood Estate Outside on the serene 12-acre lot, revered landscape architects Harries and Hall, Howard and Lorrie Dunington-Grubb and John Lyle cultivated precisely manicured lawns, myriad gardens and a cascade of fountains. (Lyle was also commissioned to design a couple of Art Deco-themed additions for the estate in the 1930s and ‘40s.) When the McLaughlins were in residence, 24 full-time gardeners were kept on-hand to tend to the upkeep of the extensive grounds!
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Image Credit: Parkwood Estate Upon McLaughlin’s death at the age of 100 in 1972, the mansion was willed to the city of Oshawa and subsequently opened to the public. Gorgeously appointed and immaculately maintained, the site remains largely as it was when Samuel and his family lived there, with much of the ephemera of their daily life intact. Parkwood’s website states, “Crystal and china, silver, linens, books, family photographs and memorabilia, needlework and trophies are all preserved and displayed in their original settings. The collection is complete down to the monogrammed linens, creating an impression that the family is still in residence.”
Today, the estate not only operates as a museum but a public space offering a slew of cultivated classes, seminars and experiences, including succulent workshops, teddy bear picnics, whiskey tastings and artifact care instructionals, among countless others. There’s literally something for everyone at Parkwood! The site also serves as a special events venue and has become extremely popular for weddings. Unfortunately, due to the Omicron outbreak, it is currently closed, though it is set to reopen next month.
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Image Credit: Parkwood Estate The exquisite mansion is one of “Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol’s” central locations, appearing in virtually every episode. Langdon and Peter’s daughter, Katherine (Valorie Curry, who is a dead ringer for a “My So-Called Life”-era Claire Danes), return there time and again while attempting to decode the mysteries of the Freemasons.
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Image Credit: Parkwood Estate Both the exterior and interior of the Parkwood Estate are featured extensively throughout the show’s ten-episode run.
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Image Credit: Parkwood Estate The site actually pulls double duty on the series, with the indoor pool popping up as the spot where Peter is initially held hostage in episode one.
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Image Credit: Universal Pictures “Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol” is not the only production to feature the Parkwood Estate. In fact, the property has appeared in so many movies and series over the years that it would be impossible to list them all here. A few highlights include the 1995 comedy “Billy Madison,” in which it is used as the mansion where eternal manchild Billy (Adam Sandler) and his wealthy father, Brian (Darren McGavin), live.
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Image Credit: Parkwood Estate It is on the estate’s grand staircase that Billy famously dances to the Culture Club’s “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” after deciding to go back to school at the beginning of the film.
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Image Credit: Miramax Parkwood also pops up as the apartment home of Kitty Baxter (Lucy Liu) in the 2002 movie version of the musical “Chicago,” where the murderous fruit heiress shoots her cheating boyfriend and his two mistresses dead.
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Image Credit: 20th Century Studios In the original “X-Men” film, the manse plays Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, affectionately known as “Mutant High,” where Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) teaches his pupils to hone their special powers.
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Image Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Parkwood is the mansion that Gus (Denis Leary) robs on Christmas Eve before taking feuding couple Caroline (Judy Davis) and Lloyd (Kevin Spacey) hostage in the 1994 holiday-themed black comedy “The Ref.”
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Image Credit: 20th Century Studios And Lindsay (Drew Barrymore) and Ben (Jimmy Fallon) attend a “Great Gatsby”-themed birthday party there in the 2005 romantic comedy “Fever Pitch,” though very little of the estate can actually be seen in the film.