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Chase House

Clean your shoes, step in, and join our guided tour through the house of the Chases. 

Chase House

This is a picture of the real house where the first episode of "My So-Called Life" and some exterior scenes for later episodes were shot in 1993 and 1994. This house is located in Pasadena (California) and still exists, this picture is from 1997 (Please don't ask us for the address ;-). Only the first episode was shot on location, while a sound stage in West Los Angeles was used for later episodes. Learn more about the real house.

Floor Map

Chase House Floorplan

This is a overview of the (virtual) floor map of the Chase house. As mentioned above, only the pilot episode was shot in a real house. Our floor map is based on screenshots of the episodes #2-#19. The first and second floor of the Chase's home were not actually on two levels, but just several sets lying side by side on the sound stage. So if you look closely at the floor maps, you'll notice some inconsistencies, mainly because the sets were only loosely based on the real house used in episode #1. See details of the first floor and second floor (with screenshots).

The Sound Stage 

Episodes #2-#19 shot in 1994 used a sound stage in a former warehouse on Tennessee Avenue in West Los Angeles. Standing sets included various rooms from the Chase's home, as well as a classroom and a corridor from the fictional "Liberty High". The production designer, Cate Bangs, based the new Chase's home floor plan on the house originally used, but incorporated a few changes. These "few" changes were actually very big and some rooms even changed completely (Graham's and Patty's room, the living room, the stairs, Angela's room).

You may note that Cate Bangs turned and twisted the complete stairs and the gallery around, so that Patty could stay upon the gallery and could look to the front door. That wasn't possible in the original house.

Upstairs in the second floor of the warehouse used to be Winnie Holzman's and the other writer's offices.  "Most days here are a hotbed of activity, which I thrive on. But I can get kind of nutty with the cast shooting right downstairs." Winnie Holzman said in an interview back in late 1994.

After the show was cancelled in 1995, the warehouse was sold and a local clothing company uses the building now. 

The Mysterious Basement

Although Patty mentioned in "The Substitute" (#6), that "we even haven't a basement", the Chase's House obviously has a basement, since we can see it in episode #11 ("Life of Brian"). Additionally, throughout all the episodes, it seems like there is a little door under the stairs.

Other mysteries: We have never seen Danielle's room! That set didn't exist. Danielle was either seen in Angela's room ("Weekend") or the parent's bedroom.

Other Changes 

Some other notable changes took place between the episodes #9 and #11: Production was shut down for while after the filming of episode #8. A few sets were rebuild and featured new decorations: new wallpapers, new chairs and tables and new closets. After episode #10, the bedroom of Graham and Patty (on the second floor) suddenly got a new window and two new roof inclines. See more changes.

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“Do we have to keep talking about religion? It's Christmas.”

Danielle Chase, Episode 15: "So-Called Angels"