The mid-century house used for exterior shots of “The Brady Bunch” sitcom was designated as a historic-cultural monument Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council.
The recommendation, approved by a 13-0 vote, by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission grants landmark protections to the home, built in 1959, on Dilling Avenue in the San Fernando Valley community.
The house was used for scene setting exterior shots for the sitcom that ran from 1969 to 1974, which gained a second life in syndication. Most of the “Brady Bunch” interior shots were on a sound stage.
The home also appeared in the 1995 film “The Brady Bunch Movie” and its sequel.
The Los Angeles Conservancy applauds the City Council for designating the Brady Bunch House as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, ensuring long-term protection for one of television’s most recognizable homes,” said Los Angeles Conservancy president and CEO, Adrian Scott Fine. “This iconic mid-century residence—with its distinctive gabled roof and split-level design — has helped shape generations’ understanding of a blended family and the quintessential suburban Los Angeles home.”
The landmark status protects the home from demolition or major renovations — but doesn’t outright prohibit them. If the current or future owners ever decide to make any big changes, they would need to go through a design review and get approval from the Cultural Heritage Commission.
The house when on the market in 2018 and was purchased by HGTV after a bidding war that drove up the listing price to $1.6 million over asking. The cable network renovated the interior to match that seen in the 1970s show in a process documented in a miniseries called “A Very Brady Renovation.”
HGTV listed the home for $5.5 million after buying it for $3.5 million. It was sold to historic house enthusiast Tina Trahan, wife of former HBO chief exec Chris Albrect, for $3.2 million.
In an email message to NBC Los Angeles at the time, agent Marcy Roth said her client plans to use the house for charity and fundraising.
“Nobody is going to live in it,” Trahan told the Wall Street Journal. “Anything you might do to make the house livable would take away from what I consider artwork.”
Before HGTV bought the home, the residence had remained in the same family for nearly 50 years.
The home was opened to the public for the first time late last year when it was part of a three-day charity fundraiser called “The Brady Experience.”
