The “Gangster Squad” Secret Base

Little known fact about me – back in June 2011, I was approached by Warner Bros. Studios’ art department asking for my location advice for a movie set in 1949 Los Angeles that was then in pre-production.  My dad was in the hospital for a lengthy stay at the time and I’ll never forget putting together a composite of suggestions for the eight spots the team was looking for while sitting by his hospital bed over the next few days.  I was ecstatic when, about a year and a half later, Gangster Squad hit theatres and I saw that a couple of my recommendations made it to the screen!  The whole experience was not only one of the highlights of my stalking career but a bright point in an otherwise tough time.  Just being asked for my location guidance on any production, let alone one that turned out to be a major motion picture, was enough to send me into a tailspin of excitement!  One spot I did not propose but was recently tipped off to was the site that portrayed the secret base where Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin), Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), and the rest of the titular Gangster Squad clandestinely met to plan their takedown of mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) in the 2013 film.  As a fellow stalker named Michael informed me in May, a rustic property on a dusty lot in Sylmar was utilized as the hideout, with a bit of Hollywood magic employed to slightly alter its look.  Thrilled at the tip, I ran out to stalk it shortly thereafter.

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In real life, the 0.73-acre hilltop site that masked as the Gangster Squad’s secret base is comprised of two small dilapidated structures.

Currently for sale for a cool $279,000, the real estate listing notes that the property contains a “small bunkhouse in tear-down condition” and “a garage-type structure in poor-to-tear-down condition.”  It goes on to state that the bunkhouse is filled with bees, cautioning “Do not enter!”

The listing also mentions “top of the world views,” which is not hyperbole.

The locale pops up a couple of times in Gangster Squad.  Interestingly, only the north side of it is ever shown in the flick.

The roofline of the “garage-type structure” was quite a bit different at the time of filming.

As you can see in the 2017 Google Street View image below, the garage formerly had some sort of peaked-roof façade attached to its northern edge.  It is that roofline that was visible in Gangster Squad.

Later Google Street View imagery reveals that the façade collapsed in 2018, leaving behind the flat-roofed structure shown in my photos.

The sprawling Mediterranean mansion situated on the hilltop across from the secret base no longer remains intact, either.  In fact, it never actually existed!  Amazingly, the large estate and its smattering of palm trees were just CGI creations added to the landscape in post-production!  In real life, the hill behind the house is nothing but rolling greenery.

It is not hard to see how the site wound up in the mid-century-set flick.  Its remoteness, lack of neighboring residences and views of a seemingly sparse city below all make for a great throwback to the Los Angeles of yesteryear, not to mention the perfect place for a group of cops to set up a secret shop to plan a takedown of one of the country’s most notorious gangsters.

Only the exterior of the property was used in Gangster Squad.  The interior of the group’s secret base was nothing more than a studio-built set.

The outlined diamond design of the actual garage door was carried over into the design of the set, though – a detail which I love!

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Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Michael for telling me about this location! 

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 

Stalk It: The Gangster Squad secret base is located at 11901 West Trail Avenue in Sylmar.  The Hideaway Bar and Grill, from the “Misery Loves Company” episode of 90210, is just around the corner at 12122 Kagel Canyon Road.