The Good Wife Stumper

Last month I spotted The Good Wife passing off the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (SOM, 2011) in New York City as the FBI Headquarters, presumably in Chicago. In Sunday's episode there was another moment of "what's that modern space?":

[The Good Wife's "Pants on Fire" | image source @ 17:10]

This scene takes place in what is supposedly the medical examiner's office, as gurneys with body bags are rolled through the corridors (in the distance, between Kalinda and the medical examiner, above). The narrow, single-loaded corridor is what caught my eye. Lined with translucent wall panels (aka Kalwall) on one side and burnished CMU on the other, I immediately thought of the below project, Pratt Institute's Stabile Hall by PKSB:

[PKSB's Pratt Institute Stabile Hall | image source]

But none of the details match: Unit heaters are not found in The Good Wife Corridor; neither is the cove lighting along the CMU wall; nor are there any clear windows amongst the Kalwall; lastly, the translucent panels are oriented vertically on The Good Wife, not horizontally as at Pratt.

So, knowing that The Good Wife films in New York City, where did they shoot this scene? What's the building? When I think of other Kalwall buildings, the ones that come to mind -- Ennead's New York Hall of Science, Beyer Blinder Belle's Mark Morris Dance Group, Jonathan Kirschenfeld's Domenench for Common Ground -- don't seem to work, though the latter does have single-loaded corridors.

[The Good Wife's "Pants on Fire" | image source @ 17:30]

Complicating matters is the extension of the corridor in the above photo, which is a 180-degree turn from the top photo. It has a distinctive clerestory ceiling much different than the Kalwall-lined corridor. So given the architectural details of the spaces -- natural light, CMU, windows between corridor and rooms -- I'm thinking the building is an institution like a hospital, more aligned with its use in The Good Wife than John Jay College was in the previous episode.

If you have a guess or a clue as to where this was filmed, please leave a comment.

Comments

  1. High School for Graphic Arts, W. 50th btwn 8th & 9th

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  2. Anonymous - I actually considered that after seeing it on Kalwall's web page here, but those photos, and others I could find, don't indicate a single-loaded corridor. It seems like those are all classrooms instead. Have you been inside the school? Are there single-loaded corridors?

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  3. Hi John - Alas, no, haven't been in the building, and looking closer it seems the proportion of the kalwall division doesn't match. A puzzler! Best, David

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  4. Does this tell you in their archive section ?

    http://www.onlocationvacations.com/2010/10/11/tuesdays-lot-list-filming-locations-in-new-york-los-angeles-atlanta-more-including-the-good-wife-csiny-footloose/

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    Replies
    1. It might, but I don't think I can wade through their archive (I couldn't find a search feature), especially since I'm not sure when it was even filmed.

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  5. Unfortunately, nothing so glamorous. It's the new sewage treatment plant n Greenpoint.

    Warmest,

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Robert. Is is one of the new Ennead Architects' buildings? Color me skeptical...I'd be convinced if I knew which building in particular.

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  6. Regarding the 180 degree reverse shot, if it was done as two cuts it could be two different locations. Regarding the location: the program's production office will probably be very happy to respond to your inquiry if you were to call and ask them where the location is. (You can get the number from the mayor's office on film.) Film production companies love free publicity. They also love to think that they are an important part of the current culture. So does the mayor's office on film.

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    Replies
    1. The 180-degree shot is seamless, so they're in the same place. I thought of contacting the filmmakers, but I always tend to do my own "sleuthing" first. I hadn't thought of contacting the Mayor's Office on Film; thanks for that tip.

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