What You Didn't Know About The 'Back To The Future' Homes (PHOTOS)

The houses still stand, but one is noteworthy for a completely different reason.
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Did you know that Back To The Future came out twenty-eight years ago today?

Marty McFly's real-life house is located at 9303 Rosalynde Avenue in Arleta, California and is a private residence. It looks exactly the same as it did in the movie -- a modest 1950s style ranch house. There's an unusual amount of power lines behind it, so the view isn't exactly the best. But the home has its stucco charm -- and if "Back To The Future" came out today, I'd bet that McFly's house would be upgraded considerably.

back to the future homes

Marty Mcfly's House, Credit: Ian Fish/Flickr


In Back To The Future, Marty travels back to the 1950s only to encounter his parents as teenagers. The exterior house shots of his father's home were filmed at 1807 Bushnell Avenue in South Pasadena, California. Today, the house looks exactly the same is it did in the movie. The exterior shot houses for his mother and the bully Biff are also on the street as well. The lawn might be small, but the landscaping around the home makes up for it.


But what is more interesting is the house of Marty's eccentric friend Doc Brown.

Doc Brown's house has a bit more history to it, as the three-story building is both a National Historic Landmark and a California Historical Landmark. Designed by the architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene in 1909, the house was constructed for David and Mary Gamble (a second generation family member of the Gambles of Procter & Gamble) in Pasadena, California.

The Gamble House is considered by many to be one of the crowning achievements of the American Arts and Crafts movement, it combines Japanese design aesthetics with a variety of natural resources. There are several types of wood used throughout the house, including teak, maple, oak, cedar and mahogany all juxtaposed to contrast the differences between the material. In 1956, the Gamble house was given to the city of Pasadena and the University of Southern California School of Architecture.

back to the future homes

The Gamble House, Credit: Tony Hoffarth/Flickr


The interior shots were filmed at the Robert R. Blacker House, which was also designed by Greene and Greene in the same style as the Gamble House. This decision was made as the Gamble House was unavailable for interior filming at the time.

The Gamble House was only featured in the 1950s scenes, as in the story it burnt down at somepoint in the 1960s. On the property, there is also a garage built in the same style as the house. The garage was a bit more important to the plot of the film series, as Doc Brown spent most of his time living and working on his various inventions including the time travelling DeLorean.

To show the garage in 1985, a façade was built next to a Burger King and a strip mall. One would assume in storyline that Doc had sold the surrounding property after the fire and had moved all of his possessions and work into the garage. When comparing the movie garage and the real one, they look pretty much identical. The only difference is the movie façade looks dingier.

You can actually visit the Gamble House, as it is open for docent led tours. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted. But you are perfectly able to get your picture taken outside of the garage where the Flux Capacitor was invented.

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