At the risk of Dirt’s filming locations section becoming a full-blown “Bosch: Legacy” fest, here I am with yet another locale from the new Freevee series. Spun off from the Amazon original “Bosch,” the procedural, which sees titular hero Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch (Titus Welliver) trade in his LAPD badge to work as a private detective, ended its first season run last Thursday to rave reviews and a staggering 100% Tomatometer ranking and 96% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. Based upon best-selling author Michael Connelly’s 2016 novel “The Wrong Side of Goodbye,” the dynamic storyline twists and turns and ebbs and flows throughout the 10 inaugural episodes, with Harry coming up against the Russian mob, a murdered doctor, a massive oil stealing ring and a dying billionaire named Whitney Vance (William Devane), who seeks the newly-minted P.I.’s help in determining whether or not he has an heir.
With critics calling it “an oasis of old-school rationality and calm” and “pulpy, procedural fun,” the only complaint amongst viewers seems to be regarding the piecemeal release of episodes. But the finale certainly proved worth waiting for! Titled “Always/All Ways,” the episode (spoiler!) closes out with a kidnapping, a cliffhanger and a literal bang, as Harry engages in a shootout with a deadly assassin at Vance’s country house, said to be located somewhere “in the Valley.”
Though the “Bosch” franchise typically showcases locations in a very realistic light, in truth, Whitney’s country estate can be found a good 15 miles outside of the San Fernando Valley in Thousand Oaks. The sprawling American Farmhouse-style pad, known as Brookfield Farms in real life, sits at the end of a lengthy, winding driveway on a leafy 60-acre plot at 1464 Hidden Valley Rd. in Hidden Valley, a serene neighborhood nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains about 45 miles west of downtown L.A. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.)
In an incredible twist, not only is the site an equestrian complex in real life, but one that has ties to “Knots Landing,” as is also the case with Hummingbird Nest Ranch, the spot that plays Vance’s primary residence on the series! Talk about a coincidence!
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Image Credit: Redfin The handsome two-story dwelling at Brookfield Farms’ center is a newer build, constructed in the mid-90s by architect Ralph Arnold to replace the towering Colonial-style estate that originally stood on the premises. Fronted by an idyllic white brick and clapboard façade with an enormous wraparound porch, Arnold’s design features three bedrooms and six baths in a spacious 6,720 square feet.
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Image Credit: Redfin The warm and inviting interiors are marked by hand-hewn oak flooring, limestone detailing, beamed ceilings, French doors and five wood-burning fireplaces. Living spaces include a formal entry hall, a great room, a library and a country-style kitchen that sits open to both the living and dining rooms and is made complete with custom cabinetry, granite counters, a pantry, a butler’s pantry, refrigerated wine storage, a central island, a breakfast nook and Viking, Miele and Sub-Zero appliances.
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Image Credit: Redfin Reached via the curving grand staircase (or the home’s elevator), the owners’ suite runs the entire width of the second level. A true retreat, the spa-like space is outfitted with dual baths and dressing rooms, a sitting area and a private terrace.
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Image Credit: Redfin Brookfield Farms’ real selling point, though, is its exquisite park-like exterior. An entertainer’s paradise, the grounds boast a sizable grass-edged lake, a pool, a riding ring, a barn and two pastures, all surrounded by mature oak groves, a smattering of gardens and meandering pathways and creeks. The various outbuildings include a greenhouse, a fish house, a gym, a playhouse, a five-car garage and a whopping four guest properties boasting six additional bedrooms and five baths.
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Image Credit: Redfin Incredibly, the compound has only changed hands twice in the past four decades, last hitting the market for $24.5 million in 2014. Repped by Compass’ Nicki La Porta and Karen Crystal, it wound up selling in September 2019 at a significantly-reduced $13 million. Prior to that, it hadn’t been offered for sale since 1979! The 2019 acquisition proved fortuitous for the new buyers as the place landed its role on “Bosch: Legacy” just two years later.
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Image Credit: YouTube - Nicki & Karen Team It is at Brookfield Farms that Harry sets a trap to ensnare the nameless leather-clad hitwoman (played by Tetiana Gaidar) who is out to kill Vance’s two heirs. Though the pad only appears in one scene, it is a lengthy one in which Bosch and the assassin play a harrowing game of cat and mouse that leads from the property’s exterior through most of its interior.
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Image Credit: Redfin The showdown ultimately comes to an end on the home’s stairwell, which Harry (apparently taking a nod from “Dexter”) has outfitted with plastic dropcloths to make for a quick, easy and seamless clean-up.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television Brookfield Farms is certainly no stranger to the screen. It is, perhaps, best known for playing the Independence Inn, where Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) works during the first few seasons of “Gilmore Girls.”
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Image Credit: New Line Cinema The pad also portrays the country home of Viola Davis (Jane Fonda), where the engagement party for Dr. Kevin Fields (Michael Vartan) and Charlie Cantilini (Jennifer Lopez) is held in the 2005 comedy “Monster-in-Law.”
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television And the Halliwell sisters encounter the mysterious Lady of the Lake (Danielle Bisutti) there in the season six episode of “Charmed,” titled “Sword and the City.”
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television Interestingly, the home in its original form was an onscreen stalwart, as well! Before being rebuilt, it popped up regularly as Westfork Ranch, where Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) lived on the long-running nighttime soap “Knots Landing.” Though the Colonial-style residence viewers grew to know and love no longer stands, the surrounding grounds, pool, lake and stables still look much as they did when the series was on the air.
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Image Credit: CBS Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) also investigated a death there in the season one episode of “Murder She Wrote” titled “It’s a Dog’s Life.”
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Image Credit: Sony Pictures Television The residence served as the supposed Hillhaven, Maryland home of Jennifer Hart’s (Stefanie Powers) father in the season three episode of “Hart to Hart” titled “My Hart Belongs to Daddy.”
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Image Credit: Walt Disney Television Howie Munson (Douglas Barr) and Jody Banks (Heather Thomas) captured a criminal there in the season one episode of “The Fall Guy” titled “Guess Who’s Coming to Town?”
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television And in the pilot episode of “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” titled “The First Time,” Amanda King (Kate Jackson) dramatically rescued Lee Stetson (Bruce Boxleitner) from the site via a commandeered helicopter.