The iconic house from The Munsters, said to be at 1313 Mockingbird Lane on the show, has so much personality that it’s practically a character in its own right. Munster Mansion, as it eventually became known, was used for exterior shots of Herman and Lily Munster’s home during both seasons of The Munsters, which originally ran on CBS between 1964 and 1966. The set was also utilized for the later reunion films Munster, Go Home! and The Munsters’ Revenge.
For anyone unfamiliar, you can get a good look at the house in this clip right here:
While Munster Mansion still stands at Universal Studios today, it’s been remodeled to the point that you probably wouldn’t recognize it. In 1981, the house façade was moved to the north edge of the studio backlot, where it underwent significant renovations. In the process, it lost a lot of its distinct Munster aura.
By the end of the decade, it showed up as Corey Feldman’s house in 1989’s The ‘Burbs:
The Iconic ‘Munsters’ House Was Later Used on ‘Desperate Housewives’
Since then, the set has gone through even more extensive changes, with the second floor bearing almost no resemblance to the original Munster Mansion. You can see how it appears today in the following video:
If that looks vaguely familiar, there’s a chance you might’ve caught a glimpse of the house in an episode of Desperate Housewives. For the hit mystery-comedy series, Munster Mansion was modified in order to make it seem less spooky. Throughout the course of the show’s eight seasons, the set became the home of four different families: Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Mullins, Betty Applewhite and her two sons, Alma Hodge, and the Hunter-McDermott family.
You can see it being used as the Applewhite residence in the scene below.
Though fans of The Munsters might be disappointed to learn they can no longer visit Munster Mansion as it was in the ‘60s, there is still a way to get your Munsters fix today. In 2001, a couple in Waxahachie, Texas, remodeled their home to look like the original Munster house, inside and out.
At press time, you can book a tour on their website by clicking right here. Or, if you’re on the lazier side, you can always just watch a video of somebody else taking the tour without leaving the comfort of your own home:
The post The Original ‘Munsters’ House Still Exists, but It Looks Very Different Today appeared first on VICE.
