Even
in its humble beginnings as a relatively mundane soap opera
on ABCtv, Dark
Shadows brought innovation to a tried-and-tested medium.
Nowhere was this more apparent than in the extensive use of
location photography during the show's first year, employing
actual buildings in establishing footage for the studio locales.
Seaview
Terrace seen on the show as the exterior of Collinwood
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By
the Edge of the Sea…
For
all but the early weeks of production, Dark Shadows taped
at ABC Studio 16, located on 433 West 53rd Street, New York,
NY 10019, between 9th and 10th Avenue. Today, the property houses
the Montel Williams talk-show, which tapes on Wednesdays and
Thursdays. You can get free tickets to see the show record,
and get to see inside the building, by calling (212) 989-8101.
The
Black Pearl restaurant doubled for the Blue Whale
tavern
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Following
a series of preliminary location scouts, Seaview Terrace
was chosen to represent the exterior of the Collinwood
mansion, beating out the Lyndhurst estate (see below).
Located in the picturesque coastal town of Newport, RI, the
imposing façade faced out to the edge of the sea, just as
in writer Art Wallace's original outline. The privately
owned house was patterned after a French Chateau, and was
converted into student dormitories during the 1950s.
It is currently leased by the Salve Reginia University, providing
accommodation and classrooms. Located near the mansion
is the Cliff Walk and beach seen in several episodes, including
the area where Victoria Winters discovered an incriminating
pen... Also located in Newport, a little further down the
coast is the Blue Whale tavern, as represented by the Black
Pearl Restaurant, which still exists today, though
renovations have changed the view commonly seen on the show.
Click
on thumbnail images to see pictures in full size
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ABC
Studio 16 as
it looks today. Photograph by Bob Issel |
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Seaview
Terrace seen
from the familiar back view. Photograph by Dean Wilson |
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Seaview
Terrace, seen from the Cliff Walk. Photograph
by Bob Issel |
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The
Beach Area seen in several early episodes. Photograph
by Bob Issel |
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The
Black Pearl Restaurant Photograph
by Dean Wilson |
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The
Black Pearl Restaurant seen
from the back. Photograph by Dean Wilson |
The Big Screen
and Beyond…
The Lyndhurst
Estate, located in
Tarrytown NY served as the location for the Collinwood estate
in the two Dark Shadows
movies. The mansion grounds provided many backdrops
in both films, including with the Administration
Offices (the Jenkins'
cottage), Greenhouse
(which also housed
the Collinwood basement beneath its foundations) and Stables
(which also featured in the original series as Matthew Morgan's
cottage and the Collinwood garages). The main building and
its grounds are now owned by the National Trust, and are open
to the public throughout the year. For more information,
visit the estate website: lyndhurst.org.
Adjacent to the estate was Spratt
House, which featured
in the original series as the Old House. It was destroyed
in an arson attack in 1969. Located nearby in Tarrytown
is the historic Sleepy
Hollow Cemetery, where
the mausoleum seen in House
of Dark Shadows can
be found. The
Scarsdale Train Station
featured in the first episode of the series as the Collinsport
Train Station.
Click on thumbnail
images to see pictures in full size
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The
Lyndhurst Mansion
Photograph
by Dean Wilson |
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The
Lyndhurst Stablehouse,
seen in the movies and series. Photograph by Dean Wilson |
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The
Lyndhurst Poolhouse
Photograph
by Bob Issel |
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The
Lyndhurst Greenhouse
as it looks today. Photograph by Darren Gross |
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The
Jenkins Cottage, located at Lyndhurst. Photograph
by Darren Gross |
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Rose
Cottage,
the inspiration for the home on the series. Photograph
by Bob Issel |
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The
Collins Family Mausoleum at
Sleepy Hollow
Photograph
by Bob Issel |
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The
Evans Cottage, in reality an Essex residence
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Collinsport,
Maine...
Essex,Connecticut
was the locale used for the town of Collinsport. Among
the locations located there are the Collinsport Wharf,
Main Street and the Evans Cottage. The
town's Griswold Inn was used for the Collinsport Inn
and the town Post Office was used for the town Police
Station. Connecticut is also home to the Three
Bears Inn--the Collinsport Inn in House of Dark Shadows;
and Beechwood--the Old House in House of
Dark Shadows, which has since been subdivided into private
apartments. Located in nearby Norwalk is the Lockwood
Mathews Museum, which provided the abandoned monastery
on St Eustace Island seen in the finale of House of Dark
Shadows. It is open to the public throughout the
year. For more information visit lockwoodmathews.org.
Click
on thumbnail images to see pictures in full size
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The
Evans Cottage,
located in Essex, Connecticut. Photograph by Bob Issel |
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The
Collinsport Police Station in Essex, Connecticut.
Photograph by Bob Issel |
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The
Griswold Inn,
located in Essex, Connecticut. Photograph by Dean Wilson |
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The
Essex Waterfront,
seen
in many early episodes. Photograph by Dean Wilson |
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The
Lockwood Mathews Estate
Photograph by Dean Wilson |
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Beechwood,
the
Old House in House
of Dark Shadows.
Photograph by Dean Wilson |
With
thanks to Darren Gross, Bob Issel, Paul Taylor and Dean Wilson
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