Wisteria Lane

Wisteria Lane is a fictional street, appearing in the American television series "Desperate Housewives". The set used for the street is Colonial Street on the Universal Studios backlot outside Los Angeles.

Premise within the show

Wisteria Lane is located in the city of Fairview, in the fictional Eagle State. [Episode 2.21 - "I Know Things Now"] Its appearance reflects an upper-middle-class version of the stereotypical view of American suburbia: perfectly manicured lawns, rows of comfortable houses and white picket fences. It is the main setting of the show, and it includes the homes of its six leading women - Bree, Gabrielle, Susan, Lynette, Edie and Katherine Mayfair - as well as most of the show's other main characters. As of the fourth season, the residents of eleven houses on Wisteria Lane have been established in the show.

The setting

The street known as Wisteria Lane in the show is located on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood. It is referred to by film crews as "Colonial Street", and has been used for several motion pictures and television shows, starting with the 1946 movie "So Goes My Love" at what is now the Solis home (at 4349 Wisteria Lane). [ [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_history.shtml TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street - History] , Retrieved August 3, 2007] The houses seen on "Desperate Housewives" have been featured in several productions, prior to the "Desperate Housewives". Colonial Street has also been seen in several other productions, including, among others, the original "Leave It to Beaver" series, "Gremlins", "The 'Burbs", and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". [ [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/colonialstreet1989.shtml TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street - 1989-1996] , Retrieved August 3, 2007]

The house where the character Betty Applewhite lived during the second season was strictly avoided by the "Desperate Housewives" filming crew during season one. This was because it was considered to be too recognized 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. [ [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_3.html TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street - Building #3: "The Munsters" house] , Retrieved August 3, 2007]

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, [ [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/colonialstreet1989.shtml 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 is this part of the street was either heavily remodelled 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, [ [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_church.html 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. [ [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/colonial_mansion.shtml TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Mansion] , Retrieved August 16, 2007] Currently 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 unauthorised access to "Wisteria Lane". [ [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_12.html TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street - Building #12: Corner House] , Retrieved August 3, 2007]

Overview of the street

The following Wisteria Lane overview is based upon details and maps given within the show as well as Universal Studios' official website - see below for further details.

Residents

These are the known residents of Wisteria Lane, covering episodes 1.01-4.05. Note that no residents of 4348 (Drew House) and 4360 Wisteria Lane have been mentioned, although an unnamed woman, played by an uncredited extra, is seen living in no. 4360 in episode 4.02.

Changes

Before the large changes to the set after Season One, 4360 and 4362 Wisteria Lane, as well as the park, situated around the cul-de-sac, were not shown.

Where 4360 Wisteria Lane was built, was formerly store facades and a school facade. At 4362, Edie Britt's home, was originally a church facade that was removed. That church was seen Murder, She Wrote (1984) as "Cabot Cove's community church". Where the park is now (see map), was previously a relatively larger home, "Colonial Mansion."

After the tornado in 'Something's Coming', Karen McCluskey's home was completely destroyed. A replacement blue house has been constructed in time for the fifth season. In addition to this, the former residence of Mary Alice Young is rumoured to have been painted green.

Unseen Houses

There are two more buildings left of 4348 Wisteria Lane, 'Corner House' first and then 'Seven Gables', which have been repainted and refurbished after season one, but no one has been shown living there as of yet. The one immediately to the left of 4348 Wisteria Lane (Drew House), Corner House, is where a Desperate Housewive security guard is stationed, restricting unauthorised access to the set.

Also behind 4347 and 4349 atop a hill is a relatively large 'Chicken Ranch' house, which has never been shown on the show.

Official maps

The 1989-1996 Colonial Street map

The official website of Universal Studios Hollywood presents a map of Colonial Street, as it looked between 1989 and 1996. [ [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/colonialstreet1989.shtml TheStudioTour.com - Colonial Street & Circle Drive Layout 1989-1996] Retrieved August 16, 2007] Besides the changes made during the first year of "Desperate Housewives", the main difference between this map and the current look of the street is that the houses known in "Desperate Housewives" as 4352 Wisteria Lane and 4354 Wisteria Lane (Mary Alice's and Bree's houses) replaced two older buildings in 1996. [ [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_history.shtml TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street - History] , Retrieved August 3, 2007]

Another map, showing the street during the same era, but with higher resolution can be viewed [http://desperate-housewives.serialy.info/?menu=serial&sub=serial/kdesanakruca here] , along with an air photo taken in 2004.

Mike's map

In episode two of "Desperate Housewives", "Ah, But Underneath", a map of the street and details about its residents is seen in one of Mike's lockers. This map confirms the location of Susan's, Lynette's, Gabrielle's, Bree's, Mary Alice's, Mike's and Martha Huber's houses, as well as the existence of one house between Susan's and Gabrielle's, one house beyond Gabrielle's and one house beyond Mike's. However, it doesn't cover the part of the street that include the house on the far side of Martha Huber's house, nor the buildings around the cul-de-sac, which wasn't included in the show's setting at the time. With two exceptions, all ten houses have the same number as otherwise stated in the series.

There are some differences between Mike's map and the established version:
*Although most house numbers are the same as otherwise stated, there are two exceptions: The house between Susan's and Gabrielle's houses (later known as the Applewhite house) is noted as 4354, and Bree's house is said to be 4359. Generally these houses are shown to be 4351 and 4354 Wisteria Lane, respectively, with Mike's map being the only exception.
*The residents of the house between the houses of Gabrielle and of Susan are said to be Trent and Debra Nelson, although the Mullins is mentioned in the dialogue earlier in the same episode. This is the only time the Nelson's names has occurred in the series.
*The resident of 4347 Wisteria Lane is not said to be Ida Greenberg - this character is not introduced until episode five, "Come In, Stranger". Instead there are two other names noted, but too blurry to be read.
*Also to be noted is that Lynette's daughter Penny is called Daisy on the map.

In addition, although the camera briefly passes by 4358 Wisteria Lane - the house that (starting with episode 14, "Love is in the Air") would be known as Karen McCluskey's home - it turns away before any names are shown.

The "Behind Closed Doors" map

A map of Wisteria Lane is also included in the official season one companion book, "Desperate Housewives: Behind Closed Doors", published in 2005. This map doesn't show the house numbers but confirms the existence and location of most Wisteria Lane houses to appear on the show. The exceptions are the three buildings beyond Karen McCluskey's house, which weren't added to the shows filming location until season two. Also - while most of the houses on the map are labeled "The Scavo House", "The Young House" etc., the houses now known as the McCluskey house, the Greenberg house and 4348 Wisteria Lane, is left without any description.

ee also

*Colonial Street
*RKO Forty Acres
*Courthouse Square

References

External links

Maps
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/colonialstreet1988.shtml 1988 map of Colonial Street during the filming of the 'Burbs] )
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/colonialstreet1989.shtml 1989-1996 map of Colonial Street] ( [http://desperate-housewives.serialy.info/obr/nakrescolonialstreet.jpghi-res version but church facade cut off] )
* [http://desperate-housewives.serialy.info/obr/colonialstreet.jpgOverview photo of Colonial Street in 2004, before Colonial Mansion, the Church facade, and School and Stores facades were removed for Season Two of Desperate Housewives]

Homes
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_delta.html Building #1 - Delta House]
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_2.html Building #2 - Allison Home]
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_3.html Building #3 - Munsters House (originally known as the Maxim house)]
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_4.html Building #4 - Johnson Home]
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_5.html Building #5 - Dana Home]
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/colonial_mansion.shtml Colonial Mansion]
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_church.html Church] (Facade was removed in 2005 to build Desperate Housewive character Edie Britt's house)
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_11.html Building #11 - Drew House]
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_12.html Building #12 - Corner House]
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/street_colonial_13.html Building #13 - Seven Gables]
* [http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/chickenranch.shtml Building #14 - Chicken Ranch Building]

" = Colonial Street - created from stock units from the following sound stage sets="
* [http://picasaweb.google.com/universalstonecutter/ColonialStreet1950To1955/photo#5239844841194765682 - colonial street map]
* [ " Another Park of the Forest" (1948) sound stage set moved to backlot- Hubbard Home http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/universalstonecutter/ColonialStreet1950To1955/photo#5186635580900307234]
* [ " All My Sons (1948) - sound stage set moved to backlot - Kellar home - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_My_Sons]
* [ " So Goes My Love (1946) sound stage sets move to backlot- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Goes_My_Love]
* [ Allison home- So Goes My Love (1946) - Harvey (1950) - Dowd Home]
* [ Maxim home- So Goes My Love (1946) - " One Desire (1955)" - Munsters TV ]
* [ " Another Part of the Forest (1948) Hubbard Home - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Part_of_the_Forest" = Universal International Pictures (UI)
* [ "Harvey" (1950) - Dowd Home - James Stewart moves into the Allison home- So Goes My Love (1946) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_%28film%29 ]
* [ "Peggy (1950) - - filmed on colonial street]
* [ "The Milkman (1950) - filmed on colonial street]
* [ " Katie Did it" (1955) building # 13] - " The House of the Seven Gables" (1940)
* [ " One Desire" (1955) building #10 Maxim home - So Goes My Love (1946)]

* [ " A&C Meet the Keystone Kops" (1955) filmed on colonial street]
* [ " Desperate Hours" (1955) - kellar home- All My Sons (1948)
* [ " Shaggy Dog" (1959) paramount house -future home of the Beaver TV Show ]

* [ = New England Street Homes =1950 to 1955=]
* [ "The House of the Seven Gables "(1940) * [ "Has Anybody Seen My Gal" (1950) set #21 replaced by the Paramount House in 1955]
* [ " A&C Meet the Keystone Kops" (1955) set #21]
* [ " River Lady" (1948 Morrison Home - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Duryea ]

* [ = New England Street Homes = 1955 to 1959=]
* [ " Desperate Hours" (1955) - paramount house replace set #21 - future home of "Leave it to Beaver (TV) (1959)]
* [ " All That Heaven Allows" (1955) Ron's Barn- Building #6 - paramount house]
* [ "Ron's Barn" home of Rock Hudson (1955) - Hardy Boys (TV) house]
* [ " All I Desire" (1955) building #5 Rock Hudson moves into the Allison home- So Goes My Love (1946 ]
* [ Pink Place - wisteria set "10
* [ "Bedtime for Bonzo" (1951) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedtime_for_Bonzo
* [ "Bachelor Father TV) - (1959) production moves from republic studios - to Hubbard House]
* [ "Leave it to Beaver (TV) - (1959) production moves from republic studios - to paramount house]

* [ "Tammy and the Bachelor" (1957)
* [ "Pillow Talk" (1959)
* { "Tammy Tell Me True" (1961)
* [ "The Thrill of It All" (1963)
* [ "Tammy and the Doctor" (1963)
* [ "Marcus Welby, M.D. - (1969) production moves moves into the beaver house] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Welby,_M.D.
* [ ""Quincy M.E." (1976) production his boss moves moves into the Marcus Welby house]