I Am the Night Filming Locations: The house where the series was filmed

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The suspense TNT limited series I Am the Night is set in some interesting period locations in California.

The six-episode thriller is based on a true story involving the case of Black Dahlia, an American actress found murdered in 1947, and the suspect assassin Dr. George Hodel.

I Am the Night Location

Fauna Hodel (performed by India Eisley, Ashley from The Secret Life of the American Teenager) is an adopted girl living outside Reno (Nevada), who begins to investigate her past, along with reporter Jay Singletary played by Chris Pine Wonder Woman, Outlaw King).

Set in the 1960s, I Am the Night was filmed in and around Los Angeles and Hawaii.

Here is our guide to the filming locations of the series. We tried as much as possible to keep spoilers at bay:

I Am the Night house
The strange mansion of Dr. George Hodel is set in the historical John Sowden House, also known as the 'Jaws House' because of the shape of the front entrance (pictured below).

Designed in Mayan Revival style in 1926 by Lloyd Wright (son of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright), the house features a central courtyard with a swimming pool.

The mansion is located at 5121 Franklin Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood, Los Angeles.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of TNT - Map


Wave House on the Beach
At the beginning of episode one, the paparazzi scene on the beach was filmed in The Wave House, located in El Sol County Beach (Western Malibu).

Built in 1957 by architect (and owner) Harry Gesner, the visionary shape of the roof inspired the Sydney Opera House.

Later on, Jay makes a call from 23200 Pacific Coast Hwy Parking, with Malibu's Pier in the background.
Image courtesy of TNT - Maps: Wave House / Malibu Pier


Sparks town
The scenes in Sparks (Nevada), where Pat/Fauna lives, were shot in Piru (Ventura County CA). Elva's Market actually exists!
Image courtesy of TNT and Google Maps


I Am the Night town
As you can compare with the Google Maps image, some parts of the small town of Piru look like it's still stuck in the sixties.
Image courtesy of TNT and Google Maps


Jay Pub scene
This blue hour night shot from the first episode, when Jay goes to the bar, was filmed at W 5th Street and S Los Angeles Street.

This junction is very close to the place where the interior shots of original Ghostbusters movies headquarters were filmed in downtown L.A.

The exterior of Jay's flat is the Royal Lake Apartments building at 1109 S Lake Street.
Image courtesy of TNT and Google Maps


Where is I Am the Night set
The bar's interior was filmed at the Deco Bar of Hollywood American Legion Post 43's Memorial Clubhouse, located at 2035 N. Highland Avenue.

Actor Chris Pine also appeared in the same bar while playing Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek (2009).

Fun fact: the purple tint of the overhead lights and the ones along the front of the bar are leftover from the Star Trek shoot; the wood doors to enter and exit the bar have purplish plastic inserts and were also installed in '09 when the production redesigned the space.
Image courtesy of TNT and Google Maps


Where was I Am the Night filmed
Jay is arrested in Van Nuys City Hall. Also known as the Valley Municipal Building this historic-cultural monument in San Fernando Valley was built in 1932 (upper picture).

The scene outside a police station was shot in the old headquarters of the LAPD at Parker Center, 150 N Los Angeles Street.
Image courtesy of TNT and Van Nuys Map / Parker Center Map


I Am the Night drehort
The Four Aces Movie Set is a classic Americana road stop motel, diner, bar, and gas station near Palmdale in the Antelope Valley.
Image courtesy of TNT and Google Maps


Fauna walking on a Bridge
Fauna having a stroll on La Loma Arch Bridge, a 1914 construction located in Pasadena.

Robert from Set-Jetter reported that the bus station where Fauna arrives in LA is at 702 S Los Angeles Street.
Image courtesy of TNT and Google Maps


The Hodel manor
The Spanish-style Corinna Hodel's house is a magnificent private property at 336 Sturtevant Dr in the Sierra Madre.

In episode 3 there is a full shot of the garden and the entrance with the Loma bridge as a backdrop, that must have been digitally blended - the bridge is more than 10 miles away from there.

The show has some points in common with The Politician location, the Netflix series also featuring colonial revival architecture.
Image courtesy of TNT - Map


I Am the Night Mansion
The interiors of the museum were shot at the Greystone Mansion, an iconic film location at 905 Loma Vista Dr, Beverly Hills.

Tons of movies and series have been shot in this Tudor Revival manor with English gardens; from episode 1 of the popular '80s hit series Knight Rider to some more recent superhero franchises like Spider-Man or X-Men.
Image courtesy of TNT and LunchboxLarry - Map


The Museum scene
However, the exteriors of this museum and the restaurant where Fauna dines with Corinna in episode 2 are from The Huntington Art Gallery house in San Marino.

Many are also wondering where was The Kissing Booth filmed as the new Netflix movie features a couple of awesome houses located here in California. Find all the details following this link. Images courtesy of TNT - Map


Vintage dinner in Hollywood
The retro diner-like space Chili John's in Burbank (W Burbank Boulevard and N Keystone Street), hosted a scene from episode 3.
Image courtesy of TNT and Google Maps


bookshop sequence
The bookstore in episode 3 is Bargain Books at 14426 Friar Street in Van Nuys.
Image courtesy of TNT and Google Maps


The Happening party
A reader commented that the interior of The Happening party in episode 4 was filmed in the Eagle Rock Electrical Substation in Glendale, bordering Pasadena.

This industrial site has been used in several productions for TV and cinema. The exteriors were shot in downtown Los Angeles.
Image courtesy of TNT - Map


Hawaii Locations
The beautiful scenery of Oahu in the Hawaiian Archipelago is also featured in the series.

The Kualoa Ranch Hawaii is a very popular filming location (Lost, Jumani, the new Magnum house, and the Jurassic Movies were shot here).

Pictured on the top, actress India Eisley with Mokolii islet (Chinaman's Hat) in the background.
Images courtesy of TNT - Map

Can you help to improve this article about the shooting locations of I Am the Night? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!

NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
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26 comments
  1. The bar scenes in "I Am the Night," with Leland Orser and Chris Pine, were filmed in the Deco Bar of Hollywood American Legion Post 43's Memorial Clubhouse, located at 2035 N. Highland Avenue. Actor Chris Pine also appeared in the same bar while playing Captain James Tiberius Kirk in "Star Trek" (2009). (Fun fact: the purple tint of the overhead lights and the ones along the front of the bar are leftover from the "Star Trek" shoot; the wood doors to enter and exit the bar have purplish plastic inserts, and were also installed in '09 when the production redesigned the space.)

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    1. Awesome, thanks a lot for your help. Updated!

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  2. Does anyone know anything about the beach house in episode 1??? Crazy awesome midcentury architecture!!!

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    1. We just updated the post with this info and more, enjoy!

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    2. House is also in Big Lebowski

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  3. The place where fauna dines with the step grandmother in episode 2? And it also has the art gallery and the exterior shots where they park on the crescent drive with the huge lawn? Is it possibly Hollyhock house? Thanks for all the other info super interesting and specific!

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    1. Thanks! The interiors of the museum are from the Greystone Mansion. Not sure about the exteriors and the restaurant.

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    2. Exteriors and some of the museum interiors are in The Huntington, San Marino, a large Library / Art Gallery / Botanical Gardens. The Huntington was also used in Starsky and Hutch movie, the Wedding Planner and many more.

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    3. i think the exterior of where fauna and her step grandmother pull up for lunch was filmed at the huntington. check out the map of the grounds: https://www.huntington.org/map-of-grounds. you can see the building that they supposedly walk into for lunch looks like the huntington art gallery, and when chris pines pulls up in his car, you can see the palm trees (palm garden) and desert plants (desert garden) behind him down the road.

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  4. I think there were exterior shots taken at the Huntington Museum in Pasadena Ca.

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  5. Where is the house belonging to Corrina Hodel located? It looks like it’s somewhere in Pasadena...

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    1. Hi, we've found the house in Sierra Madre (update).

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  6. Where was the interior of Dr Hodel's ex-wife's house filmed?

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  7. Where was the interior of Dr Hodel's ex-wife's house filmed?

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  8. Is the bookstore featured in episode three an actual shop? If so does anyone know it's location?

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    1. Yeah, it’s Bargain Books in Van Nuys.
      https://g.co/kgs/zRbRtq

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  9. Thank you all so much for the info. I am rewatching the first three episodes, and had so many location questions. I love whe the story line is set in the Los Angeles Area, and I love anything connected to TBD. Thank you for answering all my questions . I realty appreciate this site !

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  10. The bookshop in episode 3 is Bargain Books in Van Nuys. https://g.co/kgs/zRbRtq

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  11. I visited several of the locations the day after the series premiere and can check them out at http://www.set-jetter.com/ontheset/iamthenight-episode1 I don't think I saw it here, but the telephone booth by the bus station is at 702 S Los Angeles Street. You can find lots of pictures of my visits to the locations at www.Set-Jetter.com.

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  12. The interiors of The Happening in episode 4 were shot in a power plant in Eagle Rock, which borders Pasadena. There is no public access by road, but you can see the building's exterior from the 134 Freeway, travelling west. It's nestled in the hills north of the freeway, just west of the "eagle rock." Sort of a yellow-orange colored building. The exteriors for The Happening were shot in downtown Los Angeles.

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  13. Thanks to you all for the info (and for the kudos:)

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  14. The Army recruiting station was filmed at the Van Nuys Elks Club #2790. It is one building away from the Bargain Books and around the block from the Van Nuys City Hall. Just inside the front door & front windows with the blue awnings is the counter with plexiglass. https://www.elks.org/lodges/home.cfm?LodgeNumber=2790

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  15. Wondering about the interior bar location in episode 2. Where Pine's character buys a guy a triple gin for information.

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  16. How about the news office I believe it was filmed inside la dwp on hope st

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