Where Was I Love Lucy Filmed?

The Short Answer

I Love Lucy was filmed entirely in Hollywood, California. Seasons 1 and 2 were shot at General Service Studios, now called Sunset Las Palmas Studios. From season 3 onward, production moved to Ren-Mar Studios, known today as Red Studios Hollywood. Despite the New York City setting, all 180 episodes were produced on California studio lots.

I Love Lucy ran from 1951 to 1957 and became one of the most influential sitcoms ever made. The show pioneered the three-camera technique filmed before a live studio audience, an approach that became the standard for television comedy. It was also shot on 35mm film rather than broadcast live, which allowed for high-quality reruns and syndication profits that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz kept for themselves.

The Ricardo apartment set was built with permanent, realistic details and used the innovative multi-camera setup on a single stage. Those soundstages still stand in Hollywood, and several other filming sites can be seen from the street or visited in person.

Every Location At A Glance

Location	Where	What was filmed	Access
Sunset Las Palmas Studios	Hollywood, Los Angeles	Main interior sets including the Ricardo apartment for seasons 1-2	Private property
Red Studios Hollywood	Hollywood, Los Angeles	Main interior sets including the Ricardo apartment for seasons 3-6	Private property
Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills (formerly Beverly Carlton)	Beverly Hills	Exterior shots for Beverly Palms Hotel arrival scene	Outside only
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz former residence	Beverly Hills	Exterior for Richard Widmark's house scene	Private property
Lucy-Desi Museum	Jamestown	Apartment set recreations on display	Ticketed

Filming Locations Map

5 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

This studio, called General Service Studios during production, hosted the first two seasons of I Love Lucy. The main interior sets, including the Ricardo apartment, were built here on Las Palmas Avenue. After season 2, production moved to a larger facility. Today the lot remains an active studio and is not open to the public, though a historic marker on site notes Stage 2 and its connection to the show.

Known as Ren-Mar Studios during the show's run, and before that as Desilu-Cahuenga, this facility housed I Love Lucy for seasons 3 through 6. The Ricardo apartment and other main interior sets were rebuilt and filmed here. The property later operated as Ren-Mar and now functions as Red Studios Hollywood, an active rental facility. It is a working studio with no public access, so fans can only view it from outside the gates.

During the Hollywood episodes of seasons 4 and 5, exterior shots of this hotel, then called the Beverly Carlton, stood in for the Beverly Palms Hotel arrival scene. The building is now the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills, a public hotel. Unlike the show's studio locations, this site is easy to visit: anyone can drive by or view the exterior, and hotel guests can stay on the property itself.

This Beverly Hills house appeared in the 1955 episode called The Tour, where its exterior stood in for Richard Widmark's home. The property served as the real residence of Ball and Arnaz at the time. It remains a private home today with no public access, so visitors should respect the owners' privacy and limit themselves to a drive-by glance at the exterior if they pass through the neighborhood.

Located in Jamestown, New York, Lucille Ball's hometown, this museum is the closest fans can get to walking through the Ricardo apartment. It displays full recreations of the show's apartment sets alongside exhibits and memorabilia. Unlike the Hollywood studios, the museum is fully open to the public with tickets. For travelers deciding between coasts, it offers the most complete I Love Lucy experience available anywhere.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

The story is set in New York City, with later episodes moving the Ricardos to Hollywood, Europe, Florida, and Connecticut. In reality, nothing was filmed in any of those places. All 180 episodes were produced on Hollywood soundstages in California, with no on-location shooting outside the state's studios.

The Studio Side

Production began at General Service Studios on Las Palmas Avenue for the first two seasons. After season 2, the show moved to the larger Desilu-Cahuenga facility, later known as Ren-Mar Studios and today as Red Studios Hollywood. Both lots remain active production facilities and are closed to the public.

Tours That Visit These Locations

Neither I Love Lucy studio offers public tours, but nearby Hollywood lots do. A studio tour that includes a stop connected to television history gives fans a sense of the soundstage environment where the multi-camera format was invented.

Paramount Lot Walking Tour

Paramount Pictures Studio Tour

This walking tour of the Paramount Pictures lot includes a stop at Stage 25, giving visitors a firsthand look at the kind of historic soundstage where filmed sitcoms like I Love Lucy were made.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you visit the studios where I Love Lucy was filmed?

No. Sunset Las Palmas Studios and Red Studios Hollywood are both active production facilities closed to the public. Sunset Las Palmas does have a historic marker on site recognizing Stage 2, which can be seen from outside.

Was I Love Lucy really filmed in New York?

No. Although the Ricardos lived in a New York City apartment, every one of the 180 episodes was filmed on Hollywood soundstages in California.

Why did I Love Lucy change studios?

The first two seasons were shot at General Service Studios on Las Palmas Avenue. Production then moved to the larger Desilu-Cahuenga facility, later called Ren-Mar Studios, for seasons 3 through 6.

Where can you see the Ricardo apartment set today?

The original sets no longer exist, but the Lucy-Desi Museum in Jamestown, New York displays apartment set recreations along with exhibits about the show and its stars.

Was any of I Love Lucy shot on location?

No. All production took place inside California studios. Even the Hollywood storylines in seasons 4 and 5 used studio interiors, with only limited exterior shots such as the Beverly Carlton hotel.

What made I Love Lucy's filming method innovative?

The show pioneered the three-camera technique filmed before a live studio audience, which became the sitcom standard. Shooting on 35mm film rather than broadcasting live also created high-quality reruns whose profits Ball and Arnaz retained.

I Love Lucy exists almost entirely indoors, on two Hollywood soundstages that still operate today. Fans who want to stand inside the world of the show should head to the Lucy-Desi Museum in Jamestown, while those already in Los Angeles can view the studio exteriors, stop by the Avalon Hotel, or take a working studio tour to experience a soundstage in person.