| The Simpsons House | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Town or city | Henderson, Clark County, Nevada |
| Country | United States |
| Construction started | May-June 1997 |
| Completed | July 1997 |
| Client | Contest winner |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 2,200 square feet |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Michael Woodley, Manny Gonzalez |
The Simpsons House is a life-sized replica of the house at 742 Evergreen Terrace, as seen in the animated television show, The Simpsons. The house is located in Henderson, Nevada, USA.
History
editThe Simpsons House was constructed in 1997 by California-based[1] Kaufman and Broad homebuilders in Henderson, Nevada.[2] The house was designed to closely mimic the design of the animated house in The Simpsons television series.[2] The $120,000 house was constructed for use as the grand prize in a contest sponsored by Pepsi, FOX, and the homebuilder.[1] The Simpsons House took 49 days to build.[3] Construction on the house was nearly complete by July 1997,[4] and by September 1997 thousands of people were lining up to see the finished product.[5] The Simpsons creator, Matt Groening, visited the house in September 1997.[6]
Contest and winner
editContest entries were included on various Pepsi products and 15 million were submitted nationally.[2] The winner was Barbara Howard from Richmond, Kentucky.[7] Howard chose not to accept the house, instead taking a cash payment per the contest rules.[7] In 2001, after removing most the details relating to the television series the house was sold by the builder to another owner.[2]
The contest was known as "The Simpsons House Give Away"[8] and the subdivision the house was located in was permanently named Springfield South Valley Ranch subdivision.[2] The contest was announced on July 10, 1997.[8] The rules of the contest stipulated that the winner either accept the house or a $75,000 cash payment. In addition, the winner of the house, if they chose to occupy it, was contractually obligated to repaint the exterior in accordance with local homeowner's association rules.[3]
Design
editDesign team and process
editThe Simpsons House was designed by Kaufman and Broad homebuilders. The primary designer was Mike Woodley, Senior Vice President of Architecture at K and B.[9] Manny Gonzalez was the project's supervising architect.[3]
Interior and exterior
editWhen it was constructed the four-bedroom, two-story house was painted bright yellow and baby blue on its exterior, to resemble the exterior of 742 Evergreen Terrace.[2] The house included exterior details from The Simpsons such as Bart's treehouse, a swing set, and a back yard barbecue.[2] The 2,200 square foot house also has two bathrooms, and two front bay windows, again, mimicking the cartoon house.[7] The supervising architect characterized the house as "90 percent normal".[7] For example, the first floor was concrete and the upstairs floor was sanded-down plywood that had been painted.[7] The lot size necessitated the house be just 40 feet wide, compared to the cartoon house, which is at least 50 feet wide.[9]
Before it was altered, the interior rooms were designed to mirror those in the series. The television room included the favorite spot of Simpson dad, Homer, the large sofa.[2] On the wall, hung the distinctive sailboat painting.[2] The living room had brightly painted walls, matching those in the series, and two-tone orange fireplace. The kitchen kept up the motif, featuring the checkered linoleum floor.[2] The house included 1,500 Simpsons-themed props, such as Duff Beer cans, and the corn cob curtains in the kitchen.[3] Some of the paint colors used on the interior included "Power Orange," "Generator Green," and "Pink Flamingo".[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Alberti, John. Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture, (Google Books), Wayne State University Press, 2003, p. 43, (ISBN 0814328490).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Moreno, Rich. "TV’s Simpson’s family lives in Henderson!", Lahona Valley News, November 8, 2008, accessed March 26, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Ricapito, Maria. "Keeping up with The Simpsons", Metropolis, December 1997-January 1998, accessed March 26, 2009.
- ^ Carter, Geoff. "Homer comes home to Henderson", Las Vegas Sun, July 18, 1997, accessed March 26, 2009.
- ^ Dickensheets, Scott. "lining up to see 'Simpsons' house", September 8, 1997, accessed March 26, 2009.
- ^ Dickensheets, Scott. "Mr. Groening signs his dream house", Las Vegas Sun, September 17, 1997, accessed March 26, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Rogers, Patricia Dane. "Doh! She Won the Simpson House, but It's Too Far From Home", Los Angeles Times, January 21, 1998, accessed March 26, 2009.
- ^ a b "Fox, Pepsi-Cola and Kaufman and Broad Partner to Produce the Largest Promotion In Fox History: 'THE SIMPSONS House Giveaway'", Press release, Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation, via PRnewswire, July 10, 1997, accessed March 26, 2009.
- ^ a b Staff. The Sixth Simpson", Las Vegas Sun, September 16, 1997, accessed March 26, 2009.