where was meet me in st louis filmed

Meet Me in St. Louis was filmed primarily on sets built at MGM Studios in Culver City, California. Despite its St. Louis setting tied to the 1904 World's Fair, production avoided the actual city. All principal photography occurred indoors and on backlots from December 1943 to April 1944.

Primary Filming Site

MGM constructed "St. Louis Street" on their backlot at 10202 West Washington Boulevard, recreating Kensington Avenue with grand Victorian houses. This set, known as Lot 3, spanned 80 acres including a lake and appeared in other films like Cheaper by the Dozen. The iconic Smith family home drew from author Sally Benson's real childhood house at 5135 Kensington Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri, demolished in 1994.

Key Set Details

• Smith House Interior/Exterior : Fully built on soundstages and backlot; no surviving structure today after 1970s demolition due to MGM's financial issues.

• Street Scenes : Kensington Avenue replica lined both sides with period homes, capturing turn-of-the-century suburban charm.

• La Grande Station : Exterior shots used the real station in Downtown Los Angeles (between 2nd Street and Santa Fe Avenue), closed in 1939.

Production Context

Director Vincente Minnelli insisted on custom sets over reusing existing ones like the Andy Hardy New England-style backlot for authenticity. Cinematographer George J. Folsey and set decorator Edwin B. Willis crafted the Technicolor visuals. The film exceeded two hours initially, trimmed to 113 minutes for its 1944 Christmas release.

TL;DR: Filmed entirely in Los Angeles County at MGM Studios backlots—no St. Louis locations used. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.