Office Space




Office Space was released into theaters on February 19th, 1999. Filming locations include Austin and Dallas, Tx. It was written and directed by Mike Judge, who's also responsible for creating the animated shows Beavis and Butt-Head and King of the Hill. The soundtrack features a variety of music genres that include classical, country, mambo, rap and rock. The films first DVD release was on August 31st, 1999.


Opening - Lyndon B. Johnson Fwy. (Welch Rd. overpass) Dallas, Tx. 75244

This shot is of the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, looking east. The tall building on the left side of the freeway is the Three Galleria Tower. This is one of two scenes that I know of which were filmed in the Dallas area, all the rest were in Austin.


2019


Peter drives to work - Braker Ln. Austin, Tx. 78759 (between Domain Dr. and Burnet Rd.)

Not shot on a freeway, but a high traffic three lane road. In 2017 the Domain Tower was built in the general area of filming, but the McDonald's sign can still be seen in the distance today. The building seen across the street as Peter first switches lanes is the Bureau of Economic Geology.


All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.



Initec - 4120 Freidrich Ln. Austin, Tx. 78744

With one of the exceptions being the scene where Peter knocks down his cubicle walls for an outside view, this location was primarily just used for the exterior shots of Initec. The building occupant at the time of my visit was DunAn Microstaq Inc, who moved into the building in 2013. Also, the drainage ditch that Bob, Michael, Peter and Samir walk across on their way back from lunch is just southwest of the building.


All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.



Morningwood Apartments entrance - 11511 Metric Blvd. Austin, Tx. 78758
(The Trails of Walnut Creek)

The apartments were built in 1984. 


2019


Lawrence and Peter's apartments - 10610 Morado Circle Austin, Tx. 78759
(Great Hills apartments)

The apartments were built in 1986. I'm speculating the reason these were chosen for the actual apartments is because of the way the doors are so close to one another, making it easier for the audience to imagine the walls being so thin, therefore giving the impression that Lawrence and Peter could basically hear everything that's said or done in the other's apartment.


All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.



Hypnotherapy - 1010 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Austin, Tx. 78701

The building occupant at the time of my visit was Walter Southwest Co, who has occupied the building since 1996.


2019


Chotchkie's (exterior) - 9739 Great Hills Trail Austin, Tx. 78759

The building was constructed in 1985. At the time of my visit, it was a Chase Bank branch. The tall protruding building in the background is an AT&T Labs Research Institute.


2019


Chotchkie's (interior) - 3003 S. Lamar Blvd. Austin, Tx. 78704

At the time of my visit, it was Baker St. Pub & Grill. When I stopped by, I also grabbed a bite to eat and I recommend it to anyone looking for good food, friendly service and a cool European atmosphere. The interior has been remodeled so not too much is recognizable from the film.


All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.



Tom's house - 1603 Glen Rose Chase Pflugerville, Tx. 78660

The house was built just a few years prior to filming. The water tower seen from the backyard was there prior to the neighborhood being constructed. The owner of the house during my visit was a nervous little guy who didn't seem to like the idea of Office Space fans visiting his house, so don't expect too much hospitality if you visit this location. There was even a "No Loitering" sign on the front porch.


All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.



Peter drops off Joanna - Gold Wing Dr. Austin, Tx. 78758

This is the first street you'll come to after the entrance to the Morningwood Apartments if you're traveling northbound.


2019

24 comments:

  1. where is the 2nd dallas location?

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    1. But what other scene was shot in Dallas? I’m just curious to know so I can rewatch and have a closer look.

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    2. I've lived in both the Dallas and Austin areas and I've also visited the Initech/drainage ditch site. I suspect the other Dallas shot might be the business park where Tom approaches Peter, Michael and Samir (as they're walking back to work, just prior to the drainage ditch shot). I get a very Dallas vibe and there are no tall office buildings anywhere near the Initech location. Further, all the Austin exteriors were clustered around each other (Chase bank, Braker and Peter's apartment are all within a few miles of each other - Peter's apartment is just a little further down Braker past the McDonald's sign - while Baker St and Initech are also just a few miles apart). Slight exception is the hypnotherapy building. And there's nothing in either of those two major locations that looks like that business park. It's totally out of character for either area. Just a guess but that's where I'd put my money. Most everything else in the movie is interiors.

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    3. Agreed this location was most likely shot in Dallas. I scoured the area and lot where “Initech” is and couldn’t find any match. I even went as far as going into downtown Austin and looking for similar buildings to no avail. Looks like I’ll have to take this to Dallas here soon. This mystery shall be resolved. Thanks for your insight.

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    4. Yes, it’s in Las Colinas.

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    5. The Dallas location is 300 W John Carpenter Fwy (TX-114) in Las Colinas/Irving. The parking lot itself is behind the looming tall buildings, and is addressed at 300 Decker Dr Irving, TX. The view of them in the lot talking is the southeastern view with buildings along 114 in the background, and then the scene where Tom runs towards Peter and the gang is the northwestern view, which has 300 W TX 114 in the background.

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    6. Mystery solved. Great contribution, thank you! If I knew who you were, proper credit would be given for the find.

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    7. AMAZING FIND! This is a long going mystery so seeing this comment kinda made my day lol. Can’t wait to get back to Dallas in the coming months to confirm this with “Now” shots. Thanks again!

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  2. What about the lake/ fishing scene? I've always wondered of that was Lake Bastrop.

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  3. Hey man thanks for doing this. Any idea about the car crash scene?

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    Replies
    1. Its Tom's house
      - 1603 Glen Rose Chase Pflugerville, Tx. 78660

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  4. At the time of filming, the interior of Chotchkie's was a Cajun restaurant called, "The Old Alligator Grill", now Baker St. Pub and Grill.

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  5. Couldn't for the life of me figure out where that drainage ditch was on Google Maps.

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    1. It's on the northwest corner of Directors Blvd. and Freidrich Ln.

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  6. Thanks so much! I've lived in North Austin since the mid 90's and it ALL looks so familiar. Questions answered!

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  7. So how did you get the shot from the “Tom’s House” owner’s porch?

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    1. Because I went up and knocked on their front door, in order to ask if I could take a photo of the backyard.

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  8. I love seeing that its actually 2 apartments side by side hahaha. Wonder if they can hear each other speaking in a normal voice lol

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  9. "Tell you what I'd do man...2 chicks at the same time, & I think if I were a millionaire I could swing it, 'cos chicks dig guys with money"

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  10. Interesting. I always thought that "Peter drives to work" would be from MoPac to Burnet, so the fence would be the north fence of the Pickle campus. But that doesn't jibe with the McDonalds sign.

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  11. You are missing Penetrobe 😆 jk amazing job !!

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  12. I was the one who initially suggested the business park scene was shot in Dallas. Nice to see it's been discovered finally!

    I recently learned Peter's apartment was shot at two different locations. I guess it never clicked because I only ever drove past Morningwood (Trails of Walnut Creek IRL) so my only view was that which you see in the establishing shot. Since I never went onto the property I assumed it was all at Trails of Walnut Creek, but it's just the establishing shot unless I'm mistaken. Peter's and Lawrence's doors and the stairwell are nearby at the other complex listed here, Great Hills Apartments. What a great find for the filmmakers! Their building, Building 2, is very close to the entrance (back entrance of the property I think) and, like the Baker St. Pub & Grill interior, there's a lot of space for setting up camera equipment. The facade area and surrounding parking are surprisingly spacious, especially compared to the other buildings. Furthermore - speaking of the other buildings - I walked a good portion of the property and discovered something I haven't seen mentioned before. Building 2 is the only building that has two front doors close together like we see in the movie. The doors on all the other buildings I saw are actually quite far apart, meaning 2 was the only usable building for pulling off the "hearing each other through the walls" gag.

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