The “George Lopez” House

The Lopez House from -George Lopez- (5 of 18)

The Grim Cheaper and I watch a LOT of television – something I’ve mentioned many times on this blog.  Somehow we still miss quite a few shows, though, like George Lopez which ran on ABC from 2002 to 2007.  Nonetheless, when a fellow stalker named Jonathan emailed me back in 2016 to let me know that he had managed to track down the main house from the series on a quiet road in San Fernando, I was thrilled as I figured many of my fellow stalkers would be interested in the find.  One look at Street Views images of the pad had me immediately interested, as well.  The picturesque Victorian was easily one of the most charming abodes I had ever laid eyes on.  So onto my To-Stalk List it went!

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The George Lopez house was originally built in 1885, making it the second-oldest home in San Fernando.  (Ironically, the property that outranks it is known as Lopez Adobe.  Located at 1100 Pico Street, the dwelling was constructed in 1882 for Valentin Lopez – no relation to George, at least not that I could find – whose family founded the area’s first post office and English-speaking school.)

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The Lopez House from -George Lopez- (9 of 18)

Per a 2002 Chicago Tribune article, the idyllic Victorian was commissioned by Senator Charles Maclay, a founder of San Fernando, and his wife, Catherine Paxton Maclay.

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The Lopez House from -George Lopez- (15 of 18)

The once grand home started to fall into disrepair in the 1960s, sadly, and by the time it hit the market in the late ‘90s, had become severely dilapidated.  Gretchen and Abraham Guerrero saw through the rotted wood, shattered windows and cracked paint, though, and purchased the pad in 1997, immediately setting about on a massive restoration project that lasted more than five years.  During the renovation, paint layers were stripped away, many original elements restored or re-created, two bathrooms were added (the pad initially only had one), and the attic space turned into a master suite.  The result of their efforts is stunning.

The Lopez House from -George Lopez- (1 of 1)

The Lopez House from -George Lopez- (18 of 18)

Today, the 1,761-square-foot abode boasts 4 bedrooms, 3 baths (one with a footed tub), a 0.39-acre lot, a wraparound front porch, a fireplace, red oak flooring, 12-foot ceilings, and a modern kitchen with marble counters.

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The Lopez House from -George Lopez- (17 of 18)

Considering George Lopez grew up in San Fernando, it is no surprise that the pad came to be used on the series, which was largely based on his life.

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The Lopez House from -George Lopez- (3 of 18)

The property looks much the same in person as it did onscreen, though it has since been painted green, which Gretchen and Abraham believe is its original coloring.  During their lengthy renovation, the couple happened to come across a stack of laurel-hued wood stashed away in an exterior closet which led to their hunch.  They had the color matched and subsequently repainted the house, bringing it back to its initial glory.

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The Lopez House from -George Lopez- (1 of 18)

The home only appeared in establishing shots on George Lopez.

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The Lopez House from -George Lopez- (1 of 1)

Interiors . . .

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. . . and the backyard were all part of a set located on a soundstage at Warner Bros. Studio where the series was lensed.

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Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Jonathan for finding this location!  Smile

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The Lopez family home from George Lopez is located at 671 Fourth Street in San FernandoOlympic Coffee Shop, from Sharp Objects, is just over a mile away at 12192 San Fernando Road in Sylmar.

Reed’s House from “Valentine’s Day”

Reed's House Valentine's Day (4 of 14)

Many moons ago (July 2012 to be exact), Mike, from MovieShotsLA, and I ventured out to Venice for a day of stalking.  Most of our time was spent at the Venice Canals (the history of which you can read here), one of my favorite spots in all of Los Angeles.  As I mentioned in my previous posts about the area, while there, Mike continuously pointed out filming locations as we walked by (the site is chock full of them!).  One locale he identified that I was particularly interested in was the residence where Reed Bennett (Ashton Kutcher) lived in the 2010 romantic comedy Valentine’s Day.  So, since the holiday of love is fastly approaching, I figured what better time than now to finally blog about the place.

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Reed’s clapboard residence, which sits overlooking the Grand Canal, is absolutely idyllic, as you can see below.  From what I’ve been able to discern from Zillow, the 0.06-acre plot of land where the home now stands was purchased in November 1975 for $10,000.  Construction on the dwelling was completed in 1978 and it has not changed hands since – understandably!  If I owned that place, I’d never sell it either!

Reed's House Valentine's Day (11 of 14)

Reed's House Valentine's Day (12 of 14)

The property looks exactly the same in person as it did onscreen in Valentine’s Day – minus the wetsuits that were seen hanging from the balcony in the movie.

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Reed's House Valentine's Day (10 of 14)

In real life, the two-story dwelling boasts three bedrooms, three baths, and 2,216 square feet of living space.

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Reed's House Valentine's Day (2 of 14)

Because it was seen only briefly, I believe that the home’s actual interior was also used in the filming, but, unfortunately, I could not find any photographs of the inside of the place to verify that hunch.

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The bridge that appeared throughout the film is located directly in front of Reed’s house and crosses over Grand Canal.

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Reed's House Valentine's Day (8 of 14)

Because of what takes place there at the end of Valentine’s Day (I won’t spoil it for those of you who have yet to see the movie), I was actually more excited to pose for a picture on the bridge than I was in front of Reed’s house.

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Reed's House Valentine's Day (14 of 14)

Thanks to the Simon and Simon website, I learned that Reed’s residence was also used as the home where A.J. Simon (Jameson Parker) lived on Simon & Simon.  At the time that the series was filmed in the 1980s, the property looked quite a bit different than it does today and the lot next door to it was also vacant.  (The yellow house seen in the photographs above was not built until 1988.)

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For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Big THANK YOU to Mike, from MovieShotsLA, for showing me this location!  Smile

Reed's House Valentine's Day (9 of 14)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Reed’s house from Valentine’s Day is located at 2604 Grand Canal in Venice.