Wisteria Lane is a fictional street at the center of U.S. television drama series Desperate Housewives. Desperate Housewives storylines primarily center on the residents of the street. The set for Wisteria Lane is located inside Universal Studios Hollywood, and is actually named Colonial Street, an area that has been used for many motion pictures and television shows.TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street - History , Retrieved August 3, 2007 Other film and television productions in which Colonial Street has been featured include the original Leave It to Beaver series, Gremlins, The 'Burbs, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street - 1989-1996 , Retrieved August 3, 2007
Production In 2005, for the second season of Desperate Housewives, the street went through some heavy changes. During the first season only one part of the street had been seen on the show – the cul-de-sac at the end of the street, known as 'Circle Drive' among film crews,TheStudioTour.com – Colonial Street & Circle Drive Layout 1989-1996 Retrieved August 16, 2007 had been left out. Now the majority of the buildings and facades in this part of the street were either heavily remodeled or removed. Among the most noticeable changes were the removals of a church facade, seen on Murder, She Wrote, in order to make room for Edie's house,TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street/Circle Drive - The Church , Retrieved August 3, 2007 and of the so-called Colonial Mansion, which was replaced by a park.TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Mansion , Retrieved August 16, 2007 In the film Beethoven's 3rd (2000) the street can clearly be seen with the shops and the church still in place around 'Circle Drive'. The shot begins in circle drive at the shops then Mrs McCluskey's, Lynette's, Katherine's, Bree's, Susan's, Mary Alice's, Betty's and Gaby's are also in shot. The shot then continues into Gaby's driveway and then down the rest of the street. Colonial Street – including Circle Drive – has sixteen main buildings, with three of them located outside the Desperate Housewives filming area. The house closest to the settings, located next to what's called 4348 Wisteria Lane within the show, is being used by guards to stop any unauthorized access to "Wisteria Lane".TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street - Building #12: Corner House , Retrieved August 3, 2007
Lots The following overview is based upon details and maps given within the show as well as Universal Studios' official website - see below for further details.
No. 4344 No.4344 This house was used only once on the show, in season 2. Lisa Sidmen and her son live there. This house is just an empty shell and is largely uncared for.
No. 4345 No. 4345
This house has never been used on the show and was seen only once in season 5. It appears to be an old abandoned house.
No. 4346 No. 4346
This house was owned by Sharon Shesin in season 2. Mona Clarke was shown living here with her husband and her children in season 5. After her death in season 6 it is assumed that the Clarke family moved out.
No. 4347 No. 4347 is the Greenbergs' house. Ida Greenberg resides here in seasons 1-4. After her death, the house is temporarily occupied by Karen McCluskey. Since season 6 it has been occupied by Mitzi Kinsky. This house is actually a facade and has no interiors.
No. 4348 No. 4348 is Rose Kemper's house from season 1 through season 5. In season 5 she goes to live in a nursing home, and it is unknown who resides there after. This house is in truth just an empty shell.
No. 4349 No. 4349 is the home of Carlos and Gabrielle Solis, who have lived there since the summer of 2003. They move out to a mansion in Beverly Hills a year after the series ends. This house has an actual entry and living room. All other interiors shots are filmed on a soundstage in the studio. The backyard of this house (with pool and jacuzzi) was filmed on an actual house in San Fernando Valley.
No. 4350 No. 4350 (commonly known as the Old Huber House) is owned in season 1 by Martha Huber, who had owned the house at least 14 years earlier as well. After her house burns down, Edie Britt resides with Martha until her new house is re-built. When Paul Young murders her, her sister Felicia Tilman moves in. Felicia stays in the house until the end of season two, where she frames Paul for her "death". This house has an actual first floor (entry, kitchen and living room). The second floor does not exist and was not rebuilt on a soundstage.
Bree Van de Kamp buys the house for her son Andrew Van de Kamp and his partner Alex Cominis in season five. They are still shown living there in season seven. In the middle of the season, Alex moves out because of Andrew's alcohol problems. By the second half of season eight, Andrew has to move out as well since he lost his job, so he moves back in with Bree.
No. 4351 No. 4351 is the house of the Mullins Family for the vast majority of season 1. Then Betty Applewhite and her son Mathew Applewhite move in at the end of Season 1 and stay there for the duration of season 2. Then it is briefly owned by Alma Hodge during Season 3. Then, Beginning in season 4, it is owned by Bob Hunter and Lee McDermott. In season 7 Lee sells his house to Paul Young, and is implied to have gotten it back after Paul returned to prison.
The house for 4351 was strictly avoided by the Desperate Housewives filming crew during season one. This was because it was considered to be too recognizable since being the main setting of The Munsters. Following the decision to introduce the Applewhites, and having them living in the Munster home, the house was completely remodeled. This house has an actual first floor(entry, living room, kitchen and dining room). Second floor is rebuilt on a soundstage in the studio.
No. 4352 No. 4352 is the home of Mary Alice Young. In season five the house has been painted green and the archway and the beginning of the house has been removed. The Youngs moved in the house in 1990.
In season one, Mary Alice kills herself and leaves the house to be maintained by her husband Paul Young and her son Zachary Young. The two remain in the house until season two, when Paul is arrested for the apparent murder of Felicia Tilman, and Zach inherits his grandfather's fortune. The house is then put on the market by Edie Britt, who sells it to Arthur Shepherd. Art moves out after his sister's death and the residents convincing themselves that he is a pedophile.
In season five, the house is bought by Edie and Dave Williams who rents the house out to Mike Delfino. Mike stays in the house until he moves into Katherine Mayfair's house.
In season six, the Bolen family moves in. The family stay in the house until the end of the season, where Angie Bolen and Nick Bolen move to Atlanta, and their son Danny Bolen goes to New York.
In season seven, the house is reclaimed by Paul Young, who lives across the road in Susan's house. Towards the end of season seven, Paul Young confesses about Martha Huber's murder. In season eight, the resident of 4352 is unknown.
This house has a partial first floor (entry, living room and dining room). All other inside shots(kitchen, family room and second floor) are filmed on a soundstage in the studio. The house is a reproduction of the original Leave it to Beaver house and was constructed for the 1997 Universal film of the same name.
No. 4353 No. 4353 is Susan Mayer's house. Paul Young rented the house throughout the seventh season, with his new wife Beth Young, until Beth kills herself, and Paul soon lets Susan and Mike move back in.
The Mayers moved into the house in 1992. Before season one, Susan lived in the house with her husband Karl Mayer, they divorced and throughout the first four seasons, Susan lived with her daughter Julie Mayer. Her off-and-on relationship meant that Mike Delfino often stayed. At the end of season three, Susan and Mike married, so Mike became a permanent resident.
They remained together in season four. At the end of season four, Julie moved out to go to college, and Susan gave birth to Maynard James Delfino. In season five, Susan and Mike divorced, and Susan started seeing Jackson Braddock. Jackson wanted to move in, but Susan did not allow him to. At the end of season five, Susan and Mike remarried and live in 4353 for season 6.
At the end of season six, Susan and Mike move to an apartment and rent out their house due to financial troubles; unknown to them, Paul Young moves in with his wife Beth. In season seven, Paul finds out the truth about Beth and he throws her out.
In the end of season seven, Mike, Susan and MJ all move back into 4353, when Paul Young is arrested for murder. In season eight, they came back on the lane, but later Mike was murdered by a loan shark. Susan decides to sell her house at the end of the series to a couple named Jennifer and Steve, who are hiding a secret. This house has an actual entry, a dining room and a kitchen. All other interior shots (living room and second floor) are filmed on a soundstage in the studio.
No. 4354 No. 4354 is Bree and Rex Van de Kamp's house. Together in this house, they raised their children, Andrew Van de Kamp and Danielle Van de Kamp. They moved into the house in 1994.
In season three, Bree remarries to Orson Hodge and he becomes a permanent resident in the house. Gloria Hodge, Orson's mother also moves in, a few episodes later and remains until she is kicked out by Bree.
In season four, Danielle gives birth to Benjamin Hodge and he stays in Bree's care until season five. With this, both Andrew and Danielle move out as well. Also at the end of season four, Orson goes to jail for Bree and stays there for three years. When he is released, he returns to the home.
In season five Bree's garage has been reconverted into her and Katherine's test kitchen. The ground floor contains the kitchen and the top floor contains their offices.
At the close of season six, Orson moves out after asking for a divorce. In season seven Bree's contractor boyfriend Keith moves in with her. But when Keith finds out he has a son, the relationship starts to crumble. He tries to get Bree to move to Florida but it ends up in only him leaving. In season eight, Andrew moves back in due to financial reasons.
Three years after the series end, Bree and her former lawyer/new husband, Trip Weston, move off the lane to Kentucky.
This house has no interiors, with it being used as a break room for the cast and crew. Along with Lynette's house, it is one of only two houses to have a backyard on the Colonial Street set.
No. 4355 No. 4355 is the Scavos' house. Since the beginning Lynette and Tom Scavo have owned the house. They moved into the house in 1997, living there with their five children, Preston Scavo, Porter Scavo, Parker Scavo, Penny Scavo, Paige Scavo, and Kayla Huttington Scavo. Kayla lives in the house full-time for the middle of season three and all of season four. In season seven, Porter and Preston move out. By the end of season seven, Lynette and Tom decide to separate and divorce after a long fight between the two. In season eight Tom moves out and the twins, Porter and Preston, move back in temporarily. Tom moves back in during the two part finale as they reconcile. They move out four weeks later to New York City where they live in a penthouse overlooking Central Park. This house is just a shell with no interiors. Interior shots are filmed on a soundstage in the studio.
No. 4356