Where was Little Women filmed? The houses and all the locations
Posted by Ra Moon
Inspired by Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel, the 2019 movie Little Women was filmed where she wrote it, in Massachusetts.
This new version of the classic coming-of-age period drama, featuring a number of stunning houses and manors, is directed by actress and filmmaker Greta Gerwig, who in 2017 delivered the acclaimed film Lady Bird.
This new version of the classic coming-of-age period drama, featuring a number of stunning houses and manors, is directed by actress and filmmaker Greta Gerwig, who in 2017 delivered the acclaimed film Lady Bird.
Saoirse Ronan leads the impressive cast rounded out by Emma Watson, Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, Florence Pugh, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Eliza Scanlen, Louis Garrel, Timothée Chalamet, and Chris Cooper.
Here is our spoiler-free guide to the filming locations of Little Women. We’ve broken the movie down into the key sites, ordered by first appearance.
The Little Women locations
The scenes on the streets of New York were filmed in downtown Lawrence.
The film crew transformed Appleton and Common Streets into a period set, sending the neighborhood back in time.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures and Google Maps
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures and Google Maps
Both the exterior and the interior of the Gibson House Museum served as Jo's boarding house.
Located near the museum featured in The Last of Us in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, this house built in 1859 is a well-preserved example of Victorian architecture.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures and Google Maps
The scene with Amy and Aunt March in a carriage through the dirt roads of Paris was filmed at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston.
Founded in 1872, this botanical garden is one of the oldest in North America.
The arboretum spans over 281 acres (113 hectares) and is managed by Harvard University.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
Meg's House was filmed in one of the Fruitlands Museum houses in Harvard.
This is the former Shaker Office, housing the Shaker collection.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
The Little Women house
The real Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, where the writer spent part of her childhood, is located at 399 Lexington Road, in the city of Concord.
Here is where she wrote Little Women back in 1868. As local media WBUR reports, today the house still survives as a museum.
The filmmakers couldn't accommodate this large production here, as the space was too small to fit all cast and crew.
Image courtesy of Victor Grigas - Map
That's why the March house featured in the movie was temporarily built on land off Lowell Road in Concord, as Variety reported.
The new house, located near the original one, was painstakingly full-scale reproduced.
However, some interiors were shot in an enormous warehouse in Franklin.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
The Laurence House is a white mansion that as in the movie, it is actually located next to the Orchard house replica in Concord.
With woods and a pond nearby, this location was also the perfect setting to film the ice-skating scene.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
As Boston.com reported, the Laurence House interior was filmed in the Nathaniel Thayer Estate, a historic Georgian Revival manor in Lancaster.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
The theater was filmed at the Emerson Colonial Theater in Boston.
Originally opened doors in 1900, this venue has undergone extensive renovations and restorations, aiming to preserve its historic charm while modernizing its facilities.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
The Gardiner House, where Jo meets Laurie at the New Year's Eve ball, is the Lyman Estate in Waltham.
Surrounded by large gardens, this beautiful 1793 historic country mansion is also known as The Vale.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures and Robert Gray - Map
The New Year’s Eve ball in Paris was shot in the Grand Ballroom at the Fairmont Copley Plaza.
Since its opening in 1912, this elegant and luxurious hotel has been a symbol of Boston’s rich history.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures and Maveric - Map
The City of Concord in Little Women
Several scenes set in Concord were filmed in the small and super-cute town of Harvard in Worcester County, 25 miles northwest of the city of Boston.
Pictured, the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church, a beautiful example of New England colonial architecture.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
The post office, the butcher and some other buildings in Concord were just a set built in a park between the General Store and the Harvard Congregational Church in Harvard.
The tailor's shop interior was filmed on the second floor of the Harvard General Store.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
Aunt March's mansion was filmed at the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton.
This historic country estate features a magnificent mansion surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens that are open to visitors daily from sunrise to sunset, free of charge.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
Built in the 1870s, this mansion is located at 315 Dartmouth in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston.
In 2015, this nine-bedroom home, which was restored to its former glory in 1997, was on the market for $20 million.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
The staircase scene in the Moffat House was shot at the Headquarters House (also known as the William Hickling Prescott House), a historic museum located at 55 Beacon Street in Boston.
Built in 1808, the property is a National Historic Landmark, owned by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures and Google Maps
The beach scenes were filmed on Crane Beach in Ipswich.
More than 1,200 acres of spectacular beachfront make up this sand dune landscape.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
Several scenes set in Paris were filmed in Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, including the garden, a courtyard, and the seashore of Concord Beach.
The actual 'Great House' is a 59-room Stuart-style mansion built in 1928. This stunning seaside estate features beautifully undulating landscaped grounds.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures and Jay Burnham - Map
A key scene with Jo and Laurie in the Concord Hills was filmed on Gibbet Hill in Groton, offering panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
The Concord Train Station was filmed in Stoughton.
The Massachusetts Film Office published a pdf including all the film shooting locations.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures - Map
Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of Little Women? 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.
*****
NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
*****
Ra Moon
Atlas of Wonders is looking for wonderful Filming Locations all around the world. We are constantly updating and improving our posts with new details and images. Follow us here:
All comments are reviewed prior to publication