Where Was Ghostbusters Filmed?

Location 01

Hook & Ladder Company #8

NY, New York City Outside only

Filmed here: Exteriors of Ghostbusters headquarters

This active Tribeca fire station served as the exterior of Ghostbusters headquarters and remains the single most recognizable stop for fans. The Ghostbusters logo is painted on the sidewalk outside, and the station is a popular photo spot. It is still a working firehouse, so visitors should view it from the street only and not enter. Several New York film tours stop here, making it the easiest location to build a visit around.

Location 02

55 Central Park West

NY, New York City Outside only

Filmed here: Dana Barrett's apartment building (Spook Central)

The art deco tower at 55 Central Park West played Dana Barrett's apartment building, known to fans as Spook Central, where the temple of Gozer finally erupted through the roof. It is a private residential building, so access is exterior only. The best views come from the street or from inside Central Park, and the building sits close to Tavern on the Green, another filming site, so the pair can be covered in one short walk.

Location 03

New York Public Library (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building)

NY, New York City Free to see

Filmed here: Library ghost scenes, exteriors and main reading room

The library ghost scenes used this landmark's exteriors and its main reading room, making it one of the few locations visitors can fully enter. Entry is free and open to the public, and the reading room looks much as it did in 1984. One caveat for purists: the basement stacks sequence was actually filmed in Los Angeles, so this building covers the above-ground portions of the film's opening haunting.

Location 04

Columbia University (Low Memorial Library steps and Havemeyer Hall)

NY, New York City Free to see

Filmed here: University scenes, firing and planning

The university scenes, including the firing of the trio and their planning, were shot around Columbia's Low Memorial Library steps and Havemeyer Hall. The campus in Morningside Heights has public access, and it remains a popular filming location for many productions beyond Ghostbusters. Visitors can walk the same steps seen in the film at no cost, and the area pairs well with a trip uptown to other Manhattan sights.

Location 05

Millennium Biltmore Hotel

CA, Los Angeles Ticketed

Filmed here: Sedgewick Hotel exteriors, lobby, ballroom (Slimer scene)

This historic downtown Los Angeles hotel doubled as the Sedgewick Hotel, site of the Slimer encounter, with exteriors, the lobby, and the ballroom all used in the film. Unlike many studio locations, it is open to the public in its common areas, so visitors can walk into the lobby and ballroom spaces where the scenes played out. It is a working luxury hotel, and no ticket is required to see the public rooms.

Location 06

Tavern on the Green

NY, New York City Free to see

Filmed here: Louis flees from Vinz Clortho

The restaurant in Central Park appears in the scene where Louis flees from Vinz Clortho, the terror dog. It is open to the public as a restaurant, so fans can dine at a genuine filming location inside the park. Its position near 55 Central Park West makes it a natural pairing on a walking route through the park's western edge. Some Central Park film tours include this stop alongside other movie sites.

Location 07

Los Angeles Central Library

CA, Los Angeles Free to see

Filmed here: Library basement stacks scene

Despite the New York setting, the eerie library basement stacks scene was filmed here in downtown Los Angeles. The building is a public library with free entry, so visitors can explore it at leisure. Its location is a short walk from the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, meaning two major filming sites can be visited together on foot in the city's core. It is one of the film's better surprises for location hunters.

Location 08

Fire Station 23

CA, Los Angeles Private property

Filmed here: Interiors of Ghostbusters headquarters

While the outside of headquarters is in New York, the interiors were shot at this decommissioned Los Angeles fire station. It is privately held and not open to the public, so there is no way to go inside. Fans can only view it from the street in downtown LA, close to the library and the Biltmore. It remains a point of pilgrimage for those tracing where the firehouse scenes really happened.

Location 09

Warner Bros. Burbank Studios (Stages 12, 16, 18)

CA, Burbank Ticketed

Filmed here: Dana's apartment, hallway, temple of Gozer sets

The biggest sets were built at The Burbank Studios. Dana's apartment set spanned two soundstages, and the temple of Gozer on Stage 16 was so power hungry that other stages had to be shut down during its use. The studio today can be visited through the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, though the historic stages are not always accessible on every tour route. Check current tour options before visiting for the sets alone.