The Palmer residence is one of the most iconic homes in Twin Peaks. For this Setting the Stage article, I’m taking a closer look at the exterior scenes from Seasons 1 and 2.
PALMER HOUSE LOCATION
According to the “Twin Peaks Access Guide to the Town,” the Palmers lived at at corner of Frost Avenue and Northwestern Street in Twin Peaks (number 6 on the map above).
In reality, the show used two different homes in Washington state as the exteriors. For the Pilot Episode, a home in Everett, Washington was used and will later serve as the exterior in both Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me and Season 3.
The home exterior in the first two seasons is located at 534 S. Lewis Street in Monroe, Washington (see this 2016 article for additional insight about the home).
EPISODE 1001
The first time we see the exterior of the Palmer house is in Episode 1001.
There is a pan down to the Monroe home. This pan down shot will be used a few times throughout the first two seasons.
EPISODE 1002
The first nighttime establishing shot is in Episode 1002. For most of Seasons 1 and 2, these exterior scenes were used as establishing shots before cutting to interior sets located in Van Nuys, California.
EPISODE 1004
Episode 1004 reused the pan down shot of the Monroe home from Episode 1001. I combined the individual frames to create this collage of the entire home and tree.
EPISODES 1005/1006
A similar nighttime establishing shot of the home is found in Episodes 1005 and 1006. The only difference between these two shots is the second floor lights which are either off or on. They were probably captured at the same time during filming of the Pilot Episode.
This was the final time we saw the home exterior in Season 1.
EPISODE 2001
Episode 2001 offers a different view of the Monroe home. A similar nighttime shot will be used later in the series.
EPISODE 2003
The street outside the Palmer House is shown in Episode 2003 where Donna Hayward speeds away in her minivan. The brief scene was shot in California, but I have not located the actual spot (yet).
EPISODE 2008
A nighttime shot of the Monroe home is used in Episode 2008, which is similar to the nighttime image from Episode 1002.
Another pan down establishing shot of the Monroe home is seen in Episode 2008.
This shot is similar to Episodes 1001 and 1004, and it’s the final time we see the Monroe home exterior in Twin Peaks.
There is one final exterior shot that supposedly takes place outside the Palmer House in Episode 2008.
This scene is where Leland Palmer loads his Maddy-filled golf bag into the trunk of his 1975 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. 710-YEP!
The scene was shot at 29085 Lake Vista Drive in Agoura Hills, California.
Agoura Hills, California serves as the location for several scenes including the subsequent scene of Leland Palmer driving erratically.
This was the final time we see an exterior for the Palmer house in Season 2.
