User:IvoShandor/Simpsons House
| 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
[edit]The 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
[edit]Contest 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
[edit]Design team and process
[edit]The 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
[edit]When 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.