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THE
ORIGINAL MYERS HOUSE (aka The Century House)
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Unlike many of today's horror films, John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN
was filmed in an actual house instead of a movie set. This simple
fact adds another layer of mystique to the movie for its legion
of dedicated fans - the fact that, somewhere, Michael Myers' house
really exists.
That somewhere turns out to be 1000 Mission Street in South Pasadena,
California. And luckily for HALLOWEEN fans, South Pasadena realized
the historical importance of "The Century House" and has
named it as one of the city's local city landmarks. Aside from its
significance as a famous movie landmark, South Pas also recognized
the house, built in 1888, as most likely being the oldest surviving
frame residence in the city. Historians also believe the house to
be the city's first duplex, marking the arrival of settlers from
Indiana and their Midwestern influence on local architecture. The
house itself merges several architectural styles, showing Midwestern
Greek revival and salt box characteristics as well as Eastlake elements
such as the gable ornaments.
Without the city's intervention, the house would have been destroyed,
as it was set to be bulldozed in 1987 to make way for a hospital.
Fortunately it was salvaged and moved from its original location
at 709 Meridian Avenue to its current one on Mission St. As a result
of the relocation, the small addition that had been added on to
the back of the house for the filming of HALLOWEEN had to be removed,
but other than that, the house appears today as it did in the classic
1978 film. Of course, today it is no longer a private residence
- currently several local businesses have offices set up in the
different rooms of the house. Fans wanting to visit the original
house will have no problem seeing the famous landmark from the outside
- all you have to do is get off of the train at "Mission Station"
and you are a stone's throw away from the original spookhouse. Exploring
the interior of Michael's old haunts proves a little more difficult,
as the businesses inside the house are not as crazy about HALLOWEEN
as the random smattering of fans that periodically drop by to pay
homage. For many fans, just knowing that the house still exists
can give them the chills. Who knows, maybe Michael is still lurking
behind one of those gaping windows…
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| The
Century House - Interviews |
•
Carol Zorn (December 2009)
The owner of the business "Zorn Design," which was located
in the 2 upstairs bedrooms on the left side of The Century House
from 2003 - 2005.
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| The
Century House - Filmography |
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