The Office
The Office - Season 1
- Release Date: March 24th, 2005
The Office is one of the greatest TV comedies of all time and one of my personal favorites. The show stars Steve Carell as the inept yet endearing regional manager Michael Scott, and features a diverse ensemble cast including Rainn Wilson as the eccentric Dwight Schrute, John Krasinski as the charming Jim Halpert, and Jenna Fischer as the kind-hearted Pam Beesly. Known for its dry humor and deadpan delivery, the series masterfully blends cringe comedy with relatable character dynamics, making it a defining show of its genre.
Many people don’t know that Season 1 of the series was shot adjacent to Culver City in a real office building located at 3322 La Cienega Place. The show was moved to a studio lot at 13927 Saticoy St, Panorama City, CA (now Quixote Central Valley Studios) for Season 2, but they recreated the office layout from the building in Season 1.
As of January 2025, 3322 La Cienega Place is for lease. The gate has been closed every time I have driven by. I have been able to get some great photos through the side of a door on the right side of the complex. I have also worked out the location of Michael’s office, the conference room, and the warehouse. I’ll outline the evidence for these locations as we go. The two windows to the left of the conference room would have been the annex.
Fun Fact: The characters that worked in the Annex, Toby Flenderson, played by Paul Lieberstein, Kelly Kapoor, portrayed by Mindy Kaling, and occasionally Ryan Howard, played by B.J. Novak, were all writers on the show. The Annex was created as a device to get them out of background acting work so that they would have time to write the episodes.
Below is Michael Scott (Steve Carell) at the opening of The Office Season 1, Episode 1 (Pilot). From the window in the hallway which serves as the entry to the office, you can see the parking lot for 3322 La Cienega Place, with 3301 La Cienega Place in the background.
In one of the first talking heads in the series, Michael is talking to the camera with an electric pole in the background. This specific electric pole has three wires that go down on one side of the pole. There was some debate on other sites that Michael’s office may have been on the other side of the building with a window that has since been removed. The pole on that side of the building does not have these wires, however.
Also, as we will see later in the post, the warehouse is clearly below this section of the building, now known as Suite C. The Office Ladies podcast mentions how the warehouse was adjacent to the office, further proving the locations.
Below you can see my proposed location of Michael’s office lines up perfectly with this electrical pole.
As I mentioned, the entirety of 3322 La Cienega Place is currently for lease. While this means the facility is closed, and therefore, I couldn’t get closer pictures, it also means there are some great pictures online of the current interior. You can check out the listing on Loopnet.
Below are pictures from the show, and the suite as it stands for lease in 2024. The walls for Michael’s office and the conference room have been removed. The glass entranceway on the right side is actually the primary entrance to the suite. This is not pictured in the show. What is now an open glass wall was one of the walls for the kitchen during filming.
I’ve then mapped out where everyone sat below using a drone video tour of the facility on the realtor’s website (the suite for The Office starts around 44 seconds where the video starts at what would have been the annex, and then you get a pretty cool shot of the entire suite, followed by a view down to the warehouse).
Note to realtor: Nowhere on the listing does it mention that this is the original filming location for The Office. I happen to think potential renters would think that is pretty cool.
The door pictured below leads to the warehouse. Michael and Ryan can be seen going through here to enter the warehouse in Seaon 1, Episode 5 (Basketball). It looks like the exact same door from the show is still in use 20 years later!
I’ve added some additional shots of the warehouse from Basketball below. It looks like the warehouse is now used as a sound stage.
On to more cool shots of the real office. In Season 1, Episode 3 (“Health Care”), Michael is trying to boost morale by planning an excursion for the team. Short on funds, he calls the Lackawanna Coal Mine to inquire about a ride on their industrial coal elevator. He parks right in front of the main entrance to 3322 La Cienega Place.
Fun Fact: The voice of the guy at Lackawanna Coal Mine is actually Creed Bratton! I believe this is his first speaking part on the show.
You can also see some great shots of the parking lot of 3322 La Cienega Place in Season 1, Episode 6 (Hot Girl). Michael and Ryan are cleaning out Michael’s car and ensuring a bottle of Artic Chill is in the passenger’s cupholder.
Fun Fact: You can spot the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company sign from the opening credits to the right of the handicapped parking sign behind the red car. I believe this same shot is used throughout the entire series, meaning we have a little bit of 3322 La Cienega Place in every episode!
Later, Jim and The Hot Girl (played by Amy Adams) leave the office together, much to the chagrin of Michael. You can also spot the Dunder Mifflin sign to the right of the rollup warehouse door.
Below is an overhead shot of 3322 La Cienega Place today with Jim’s and Michael’s parking spots roughly mapped out.
I hope you have enjoyed this post for The Office! It makes me very happy that the filming location for Season 1 is in our own backyard in Culver City.
