In Twin Peaks episode 2.022, a bomb explodes at the Twin Peaks Savings and Loan. There is a brief exterior shot of this location which was captured on the backlot of a famous California studio tour that is celebrating 60 years in 2024.
WHERE IS THE EXTERIOR OF TWIN PEAKS SAVINGS AND LOAN LOCATED?
Once the bomb begins exploding, the action cuts to an exterior scene. The script describes the action.
EXT. TWIN PEAKS SAVINGS AND LOAN – DAY
The Savings and Loan EXPLODES, windows shattering outward, glass raining down upon the sunny street.
For the longest time, I thought this building may be in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Yet I wondered what building company would allow the front door and windows to be purposely destroyed. Unless the building was being demolished, this didn’t make sense.
I concluded it had to be a set or possible shot on a backlot area in Los Angeles, California.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS LOT
The first place I looked was Universal Studios Lot where I found a matching image of the building facade. The website stated the Backlot photos were only a guide as some locations may have changed. The image looked very similar to the exterior facade in Episode 2.022.
Thankfully TheStudioTour.com had these image of the building facade from pre-2008. You will notice the grates on the front of the building near the sidewalk which also appear in the episode. The building also did not have a pointed rooftop. The backlot area was rebuilt following a devastating fire in June 2008.
This aerial view from Google Maps shows the location of the bank facade. Interestingly, it’s close to the courthouse square location seen in Back to the Future. The cool part of this story is you can see this location in person on the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood .
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD STUDIO TOUR
The Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour have operated in Universal City, California since 1964. Originally, guests visited backlot sets using iconic red and white Glamor Trams. Today, the tour is about an hour long and takes visitors throughout the Universal backlot to see soundstages, sets and three immersive experiences including King Kong 360 3D and Fast and the Furious – Supercharged!
During a visit to the theme park on October 23, 2024, I was hoping to spot this building. Whe I rode the Studio Tour in 2008, I had no idea the Twin Peaks Savings and Loan building was on the lot. This time, I had my Canon R5 with a 70-200mm lens at the ready.
Before descending the escalator to the tour entrance, you can see some of the backlot buildings. If you look in the upper left corner of this shot, you can see the pointed facade of the Savings and Loan building.
The tram passed through the backlot build set on the way to the King Kong 360 3D experience. I was bummed to have missed the building then (I could only see it in the distance behind the tram). Thankfully as the tram exited the Skull Island experience, we passed by the backlot building again. I had a feeling we would get a better look at the building as we continued down James Stewart Avenue.
And then there it was! I snapped 10 shots as the tram rolled by hoping to capture a close enough matching shot.
Slightly cropping the image, I’d say this is a pretty close match! The lighting fixtures have been replaced and other details on the building have been either updated or removed. Nevertheless, this is the spot where the Twin Peaks Savings and Loan was shot.
I love my Canon R5 as I can capture some really great details due its high mega-pixel offerings. Looking closer at the front door, this building has actually served as the Harbor City Bank.
DELL MIBBLER’S GLASSES
The scene ends with Dell Mibbler’s glasses flying through the air and landing on a tree. Dollar bills from the bank rain down as the scene fades to black.
I wonder if the glasses scene was shot by the fir trees by the aforementioned Back to the Future courthouse. According to the map above, there appears to be a tree that could possibly match. What a wild connection to a classic 1980s film that could explain Richard/Cooper’s final line from Season 3: “What year is this?”. Sadly, the Studio Tour didn’t go by that set so I wasn’t able to confirm.
