Who could forget the chilling house of horrors from the very first season of American Horror Story? You’d think something that terrifying could only exist on screen—right? Well… think again.
From the moment I first saw the “murder house” on TV, I knew I had to see it in person—and experience what it felt like to stand on that infamous front stoop.
Seeing the house up close is a completely different experience, starting with the chain-link fence that surrounds the entire property. It’s tough to picture how the mansion originally looked when it was built in the early 19th century. For the opening scenes of the American Horror Story pilot—set in the 1970s when the house was supposedly empty—the front of the mansion got a major “make-under” makeover.
If you’re even a little curious about true crime, you’ve likely heard that the unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short is one of history’s most notorious cases. In American Horror Story, the sinister Dr. Montgomery is the one who killed Short. In reality, Dr. Walter Bayley was a suspect—and rumors swirled that he conducted grisly, illegal procedures in his basement.
In reality, the stately Rosenheim Mansion in Los Angeles is the star. Designed by German-American architect Alfred Rosenheim, it was built in 1902. After five years of construction, Rosenheim made it his home. The mansion sits on a sloping, tree-lined three-quarter-acre lot at 1120 Westchester Place in Country Club Park.
The three-story, 10,440-square-foot mansion boasts six bedrooms and five bathrooms, nestled on nearly an acre of land next to a former chapel that’s now a recording studio. What truly sets this home apart is how many original features it has preserved over the years, from its doors to its windows. This rare property was rightfully designated Historic and Cultural Landmark #660 by the City of Los Angeles in 1999.
Wander Woman 