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. 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.
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, 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,
and of the so-called Colonial Mansion, which was replaced by a park. 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".
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.
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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.
| rowspan = 3| Delta House (1955)
- Delta House
Dowd Home
| Solis
| Gabrielle Solis (2003-2020)<br />Carlos Solis (2003-2006, 2008-2020)<br />Xiao-Mei (2006)<br />Juanita Solis (2008-2020)<br />Celia Solis (2012-2020)<br />Ana Solis (2016)
|
- So Goes My Love (1946) sound stage 12 set
| rowspan = 4| Munster Home
| Mullins
| Edwin Mullins & Mrs. Mullins (Until 2005)
| rowspan = 4|
- So Goes My Love(1946) sound stage 12 set <br> Morrison Home
| Youngs
|Mary Alice Young (1990-2004)<br />Paul Young (1990-2006)<br />Zach Young (1990–2006)
| rowspan = 5|
- Before 1997, the house on this lot was the "Morrison" house
| Mayers/Delfinos
| Susan Mayer (1992-2017, 2018-2019)<br />Karl Mayer (1992-2003)<br />Julie Mayer (1992-2008, 2016-2017 and 2019)<br />Mike Delfino (2007-2012, 2016-2017 and 2018-2019)<br />Sophie Bremmer (2005)<br />M.J. Delfino (2008-2017, 2018-2019)
| rowspan = 3|* "Ron's Barn - Rock Hudson as Ron Kirby - 1955" - All That Heaven Allows
- The Hardy Boys (1999–2002)
|-
| 200px
| 4355 Wisteria Lane
| Dana Home
| Scavos
| Lynette Scavo (1997-2019)<br />Tom Scavo (1997-2018, 2019)<br />Porter Scavo (1998-2019)<br />Preston Scavo (1998-2019)<br />Parker Scavo (1998-2019)<br />Penny Scavo (2004-2019)<br />Paige Scavo (2017-2019)<br />Kayla Huntington-Scavo (2006-2008)<br />Stella Wingfield (2007)
|
- Nice Girl! (1941) Deanna Durbin - Dana Family
- Bedtime for Bonzo
|Not named
replaced McCluskey home destroyed in tornado
House façade dated back to the silent era - Uncle Tom's cabin
| McCluskey
| Karen McCluskey (1983-2019)<br />Gilbert McCluskey (1983-1997)<br />Roy Bender (Since 2016)
|
|-
| rowspan=2| 200px
| rowspan=2| 4362 / 4359 Wisteria Lane
| rowspan=2| Not named
| Britt/Williams
| Edie Britt (2003-2008 and 2013-2015)<br />Umberto Rothwell (2003-2004)<br />Karl Mayer (2005-2006)<br />Austin McCann (2006-2007)<br />Travers McLain (2007)<br />Carlos Solis (2007)<br />Raymond (2008-2013)<br />Dave Williams (2013-2016)<br />Stephanie (2016-2017)<br />Lance (2016-2017)
| rowspan=2|
- Built for season two, after Susan burned the original down in the pilot episode
|-
| Perry
| Renee Perry (Since 2017)
|-
|}
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 façades and a school façade. At 4362, Edie Britt's home, was originally a church façade that was removed. That church was seen in 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." In season 1 Susan Mayer burns down Edie Britt's house and there are changes to the kitchen and exterior.
Before the start of Season 4, Mike's old house is completely remodeled. The walls around the staircase have been torn down to open up the ground floor completely. Both the upstairs and downstairs are re-wallpapered with bright reds and pastel colors.
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. This house has a working 2nd floor. In addition to this, the former residence of Mary Alice Young has been painted green and the archway and the beginning of the house has been removed. 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. Also in season five 4350, the former home of Martha Huber and Felicia Tilman has been painted a pale yellow - green color however by the time of season six it has been restored to its original color, green.
It is revealed during "Color and Light" (Season 2) that Mona Clark lived at number 4360. But in season 5 and 6 we can see that she lived in 4348. She was, however, strictly a background character and was even credited at Mother #2, until her death in the Season 6 episode "If...".
Official maps
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.