Colonial Street is one of the backlot street sets at the Universal Studios Lot in Universal City, California. The street set has a long history, spanning over 60 years of movies and television. From 2004 to 2012, it was used in the filming of the TV series Desperate Housewives, in which the street was known as Wisteria Lane. After the production of Desperate Housewives ended, the street underwent a small makeover to remove the essence of Wisteria Lane, so that it could be used in other productions. As of May 2012[update], most of the iconic white fencing and wisteria has been removed. Colonial Street has since been used for the NBC comedy About a Boy and the NBC series Telenovela, featuring Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria.
History
Drew House (1977)Chicken Ranch (1982)
In 1988, Colonial Street was overhauled for Tom Hanks comedy The 'Burbs. The old Leave It to Beaver home was removed.[a] Following the movie, the homes were rearranged again so Circle Drive was connected once again.[b]
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,[1] and of the so-called Colonial Mansion, which was replaced by a park.[2]
^Known as the "Harvey House" for most of its history, the elements of this house had been replicated many times by Universal Studios. This allowed for quick construction of a cheap facade with high-quality design characteristics, when a production needed one. Elements of the "Harvey House" stock unit was used for the construction of the Bates House for the 1960 film Psycho, which has led many to assume that the "Psycho House" was erected on Colonial Street. The Bates House was erected on a hill off Laramie Street, a "Wild West" backlot street far to the south on the Universal lot.[7]
Sandler, Corey (2006). Disneyland Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Other Major Southern California Attractions Including Disney's California Adventure. Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot. ISBN9780762738724.
