The “Boy Meets World” House

Last Friday, a fellow stalker named Breanne contacted me to see if I could track down the supposed Philadelphia-area residence where the Matthews family – brothers Cory (Ben Savage), Eric (Will Friedle) and Joshua (Daniel Jacobs), sister Morgan (who was played by both Lily Nicksay and Lindsay Ridgeway), and parents Amy (Betsy Randle) and Alan (William Russ) – lived in the 1993 television sitcom Boy Meets World.  Breanne is a huge fan of the series and informed me that on one of the DVD commentaries it was mentioned that the Matthews’ house was located near The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, where the series was lensed.  So I immediately enlisted the help of Mike, from MovieShotsLA, and the two of us spent a few hours scouring the streets near Disney.  As we worked our way outward, though, both coming up empty-handed, I had an inkling that we were on the wrong track.  So I asked Breanne to listen to the commentary once again and to let me know exactly what was said.

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Breanne wrote back immediately with this, “So I found the part that I had told you about on the commentary.  Rider Strong says, ‘Now that house is right next to where we ended up filming, not at this point, but later.’  Then the executive producer says ‘It’s in Sherman Oaks.’  Then Danielle Fishel corrects him and says, ‘Studio City, actually.’  Then it sounds like in the background that Rider Strong then says, “Right across from CBS.’”  I was shocked that the cast-members knew in such detail where a house that was only ever used in establishing shots was located, but I took their word for it and Mike and I resumed our hunt, this time in the Studio City area.  And, sure enough, I found the place right where Rider said it would be – directly across the street from CBS.  Yay!  (Come to find out, Boy Meets World was originally filmed at The Walt Disney Studios and then later moved production to CBS Studio Center, which is what Rider was talking about when he said the house was near where they ended up filming.  Ironically enough, when Breanne had originally sent me a screen capture of the home, my first thought was that it was located in Studio City.  Like they say, one should ALWAYS go with their gut! )  So I ran right out to stalk the place yesterday morning – in the midst of having my car break down . . . TWICE.  Not kidding!  Thank God for AAA!

In real life, the Matthews’ house, which was originally built in 1940, boasts two bedrooms, two baths, 2,108 square feet of living space, and a 0.27-acre plot of land.  And, as you can see below, it is absolutely adorable in person and does have a very East Coast feel to it.  It is no surprise at all that producers chose to use it in Boy Meets World.  In fact, I am quite surprised that the dwelling has not appeared onscreen more often, except for the fact that it is located on a very busy street, which filmmakers tend to shy away from.

According to the Celebrity Black Book 2008, the dwelling belongs (or at one time belonged) to soap opera star Joseph Campanella.

When I first arrived at the house, I was absolutely amazed – and thrilled! – to discover that it looks pretty much EXACTLY the same today as it did back in 1993 when Boy Meets World started filming (minus the set of shutters that used to flank the front door). LOVE IT!  The homeowners should be commended!

Only the exterior of the residence was used in the filming of Boy Meets World.  The interior of the Matthews’ house was, of course, just a set that only ever existed on a soundstage.

The Matthews’ backyard and Mr. Feeny’s (William Daniels’) backyard were also just sets.

On a stalking side-note – Earlier this week, Mike re-launched the new and improved MovieShotsLA and I have to say that it is pretty darn amazing.  No one takes photographs like him!  You can check it out here.  As you can see below, MovieShotsLA’s new motto is “A brand you can trust.”  I absolutely LOVE that being that Mike is as meticulous about being correct in his reporting as I am.  I just started reading fellow stalker E.J.’s (from the Movieland Directory) 2000 book Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites (it’s fabulous, by the way!) in which he writes the following, “That’s how this book came about.  There are countless tour guides, maps, and tapes showing where stars lived, worked, or played.  Some show where they’re buried.  Most are redundant and almost none are very well-researched.  A good number are downright fiction.  Until now no guide has presented the tour highlights – or lowlights – showing where all this mayhem actually happened.”  A man after my own heart, I swear!  That paragraph goes for so many of the filming location blogs and websites currently out there, as well – most are redundant, almost none are very well-researched and a good number are downright fiction.  But I am very happy to say that MovieShotsLA, The Movieland Directory, and IAMNOTASTALKER are all brands that you can trust! 

You can find me on Facebook here and on Twitter at @IAMNOTASTALKER.  And be sure to check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic.

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Breanne for asking me to track down this location and to Mike, from MovieShotsLA, for helping me do so!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 

Stalk It: The Boy Meets World house is located at 4196 Colfax Avenue in Studio City.