Where is Perry Mason filmed? The City of Los Angeles Filming Locations

The new HBO Perry Mason series is a spin-off of the classic CBS television series rather than a reboot. The six-part thriller goes deep in the origins of the cult detective, before he became the black and white criminal defense lawyer, played by Raymond Burr, that we all remember.

The Perry Mason character, played by Matthew Rhys (The Americans, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), is also inspired by the Erle Stanley Gardner best selling book series. Produced by Robert -Ironman- Downey Jr, the show is directed by Tim Van Patten, who also has directed episodes of Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos and Game of Thrones.

This new Perry Mason was filmed in Los Angeles, the city where traditionally the stories of the fictional attorney had always been set. We are spoiler-free and as usual, we will be updating and improving this filming locations report every week:

The first episode starts at Angels Flight Railway, a funicular located in Bunker Hill. This historical landmark of the city of Los Angeles closed in 2013 due to a derailment, until the film crew of the La La Land movie arranged to make it running for the shoot. As you can see, the surroundings of the funicular had to be totally CGI'd to set the action back in the thirties.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of HBO and Anson Chu - Map

The rainy scenes in the Ptomaine Tommy restaurant were filmed in San Pedro's 6th Street. The art-deco cinema is the magnificent Warner Grand Theatre, located next door. The production dressed exteriors of store windows to look like the time period Perry Mason is set, during the years of the Great Depression. The courtroom scenes were filmed in the old City Hall building on Sixth Street and Harbor Boulevard.
Image courtesy of HBO and Google Maps / Court House Map

The Radio Assembly of God temple exterior where Sister Alice (Tatiana Maslany) delivers sermons is the Second Church of Christ Scientist at 948 W Adams Blvd (University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles). The interiors were filmed in the 1914 Trinity Auditorium in the old Embassy Hotel at 851 S Grand Ave in Downtown LA.
Image courtesy of HBO and Google Maps - Hotel Map

The funeral home is the spectacular 1923 Mountain View Mausoleum on Marengo Avenue in Altadena. All the scenes in the burial ground, including the awesome episode 7 sequence, were filmed here in the graveyard. The cemetery was established in 1882 and hosts many historically significant personalities. The Chapel of Radiance was also featured in Netflix Lucifer series season 4. Image courtesy of HBO and Ron Gilbert - Map

The clubhouse is the hall of The Ebell of Los Angeles, off of Wilshire Boulevard in The Miracle Mile district. Founded in 1894, this historic women’s club complex includes the Ebell Club, the Clubhouse and the Theater. The First World War scene was shot in the studios in Santa Clarita. Image courtesy of HBO and Los Angeles - Map

The justice court exteriors and some halls and corridors are the stunning Los Angeles City Hall building. Completed in 1928, the neoclassical arched entrance is combined with a 454 feet (138 m) high Art Deco tower. Image courtesy of HBO - Map

The dam is the old Devil's Gate Reservoir in La Cañada Flintridge. The beach from episode 5 is the Cabrillo Beach, near the historic 1932 Mediterranean-style Bath House. Image courtesy of HBO - Maps: Dam / Beach

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

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