Two houses in Encino perform a remarkable double act in Antoine Fuqua's Michael. One is Hayvenhurst, the Jackson family's real longtime estate; the other is a 1949 bungalow dressed to represent the family's much smaller childhood home in Gary, Indiana. The local trail continues to Burbank and Montrose, where two different toy-store locations show how dramatically a sequence can change between production and the final cut.
Four Local Places Connected to Michael
| Location | Community | How it was used | Final film |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5785 Enfield Avenue | Encino | Doubled for the Jackson family's childhood home at 2300 Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana | Appears in the film |
| 4641 Hayvenhurst Avenue | Encino | The real Jackson family estate played itself | Appears in the film |
| 1000 N. San Fernando Boulevard | Burbank | A period Toys “R” Us was recreated inside the former Kmart building during production | The sequence was removed, according to location guides |
| 2281 Honolulu Avenue | Montrose | Tom's Toys became the store where the young Michael signs autographs for children | Appears in the film |
Encino Becomes Gary, Indiana
Michael begins with the Jackson family's early life in Gary, Indiana, but the exterior of their childhood home was recreated in the San Fernando Valley. The production selected the one-story house at 5785 Enfield Avenue, at Hatteras Street in Encino, to represent the family's home at 2300 Jackson Street.
Location reports say artificial snow was added and two prominent palm trees were removed to conceal the Southern California setting. The Enfield Avenue property was not intended as an exact replica; its postwar form supplied the basic silhouette, while landscaping, exterior alterations, period details and camera placement completed the illusion.
2300 Jackson Street, Gary
- Built in 1949
- Approximately 672 square feet
- The starting point of the Jackson family's story
5785 Enfield Avenue, Encino
- Also built in 1949
- Approximately 1,442 square feet
- Three bedrooms and two bathrooms in public records
The shared construction year is a fitting coincidence, even though the Encino house is more than twice the size of the real Gary bungalow. On screen, the Valley property helps establish the modest beginning of a family whose circumstances would soon change dramatically.
Google Street View: Enfield Avenue
Public-street imagery near the Encino house used as the Gary stand-in.
Hayvenhurst Plays Itself
When the story reaches California, the filmmakers did not need another substitute. They filmed at Hayvenhurst, the actual Jackson family compound at 4641 Hayvenhurst Avenue in Encino.
Joe and Katherine Jackson purchased the estate in 1971 as the Jackson 5's success accelerated. Michael lived there for about 17 years, including the periods in which he released Off the Wall and Thriller, before moving to Neverland Ranch in 1988. The SFV Blog previously traced Hayvenhurst and the family's other local addresses in Michael Jackson and the Jackson Family in the San Fernando Valley.
The location also carried a personal connection for Jaafar Jackson. Jaafar grew up at Hayvenhurst and returned to the family property while portraying his uncle, rehearsing in a room where Michael had trained and filming amid his own childhood memories. That makes Hayvenhurst more than a recognizable backdrop: personal history, family memory and screen geography occupy the same place.
Hayvenhurst may also have appeared on screen decades earlier. Some fan and location histories associate the estate with the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, but that identification has not been independently confirmed, so it is best treated as a possibility rather than a verified filming credit.
The family's Encino years were not confined to the estate. A longtime local recalled seeing the Jackson brothers playing baseball at Encino Little League, eating at Mike's Pizza, shopping at Sunshine Records and cruising Ventura Boulevard; family friend Mark London remembered outings to Encino Bowl, the City National Bank cafeteria and Love's Barbeque. Other accounts and photo histories place Michael throughout Hayvenhurst's gardens, rooms and recording studio—an everyday Valley setting that became intertwined with the family's rise. See Patch's Encino recollections, Yahoo's Hayvenhurst history, the Hayvenhurst fan reference and On MJ Footsteps' photo-location guide.
Writer Rachel Steinman offers another neighbor's-eye view from a Rubio Avenue home that shared Hayvenhurst's rear property line. In her personal account, she remembers being able to see a llama, peacocks, deer and a ram in the estate's backyard mini-zoo, with a giraffe visible years later from her family's pool deck. She also recalls Michael once crossing the fence to retrieve a peacock, fans attempting to enter neighboring yards for a glimpse of him, and her 10-year-old brother Adam meeting Michael across the fence in 1983 while looking at the animals. Steinman describes the original Spanish-style house as later giving way to the mock-Tudor compound—with a dance floor, recording studio and guard towers—that became familiar to the neighborhood. These details are one former neighbor's recollections, not independently verified property records, but they convey how unusually close Hayvenhurst felt to everyday Encino life. Read Rachel Steinman's “Leaving Hayvenhurst”.
Spelling note: The estate's name is Hayvenhurst, with a “y,” although it is frequently written online as Havenhurst.
Google Street View: Hayvenhurst
The compound is private and largely screened from the public street.
The Burbank Toys “R” Us That Did Not Reach the Screen
During production in March 2024, the former Kmart building at 1000 N. San Fernando Boulevard in Burbank was transformed with period-style Toys “R” Us signage and Geoffrey the Giraffe. CBS Los Angeles documented the temporary storefront while preparations for the biopic were underway.
The elaborate recreation did not survive into the released movie. According to Movie-Locations.com and MovieWalks, legal complications caused the sequence to be removed. Neither guide identifies the precise dispute, so the reason should remain attributed rather than stated as independently confirmed.
Google Street View: Former Kmart Site
The current public-street view of the Burbank property after the temporary movie set was removed.
Tom's Toys in Montrose Gets the Autograph Scene
The finished film uses a real independent business instead. At Tom's Toys, 2281 Honolulu Avenue in Montrose, the young Michael signs autographs for a group of children. Montrose lies outside the San Fernando Valley, but it belongs in this filming trail because the store provides the on-screen replacement for the Toys “R” Us sequence prepared in Burbank.
The substitution changes the sequence's visual character. Rather than the broad interior of a national chain recreated inside an empty big-box store, the released scene is rooted in a traditional neighborhood shopping district. For local viewers, the recognizable Honolulu Avenue storefront adds another layer to a film already filled with authentic Southern California places.
Google Street View: Tom's Toys
The Honolulu Avenue storefront used for the autograph scene in the released film.
Two Encino Houses Bookend the Family's Early Journey
The most compelling part of this local filming trail is the way Encino plays both ends of the Jackson family's rise. The Enfield Avenue bungalow becomes the modest Indiana home where the story begins. Hayvenhurst then appears as itself, representing the success that brought the family to California.
One neighborhood therefore supplies both the stand-in for what the Jacksons left behind and the real estate they reached after the Jackson 5 became stars. Burbank and Montrose extend the story, showing how locations can be constructed, replaced and reshaped before audiences ever see the final film.
Filming Location Street Views
Please visit responsibly: The Enfield Avenue house and Hayvenhurst are private residences. Remain on public sidewalks and streets, do not enter gates or driveways, avoid blocking traffic and respect neighbors. Check current business hours before visiting Tom's Toys.
Gary Home Stand-In
5785 Enfield Avenue, Encino
Hayvenhurst
4641 Hayvenhurst Avenue, Encino
Former Kmart / Toys “R” Us Set
1000 N. San Fernando Boulevard, Burbank
Tom's Toys
2281 Honolulu Avenue, Montrose
More Filming Locations and Related Jackson Family Stories
Sources and Credits
- Michael official movie site
- People: Where Was Michael Filmed?
- People: The History of Hayvenhurst
- Movie-Locations.com: Michael Filming Locations
- MovieWalks: Los Angeles Filming Locations of Michael
- CBS Los Angeles: Toys “R” Us Set in Burbank
- Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce: Tom's Toys
- Public-record property details for 5785 Enfield Avenue
- The Avery Review: The Jackson Family Home in Gary
- Reddit/Filmmakers: Location scout's Gary-home comparison and finished snow-dressed set
- Yelp: Tom's Toys photograph
- Patch: When the Jackson 5 Hung Out at Encino's Hot Spots
- Yahoo: Michael Jackson's Hayvenhurst family home
- Michael Jackson Wiki: Hayvenhurst
- On MJ Footsteps: Michael Jackson at his Encino home
- Rachel Steinman: “Leaving Hayvenhurst”
Michael Poster Gallery
Promotional poster variations supplied with this draft are grouped here at the bottom of the post. Click any poster to enlarge it. Confirm republication rights and the proper studio credit before publishing.
Watch the Official Trailer
Watch the official trailer for Michael, courtesy of Lionsgate Movies.
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