Q. What is it supposed to be on the show? A. A private stable. Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show? A. In antebellum Bon Temps, Louisiana. Q. When did we see it on the show? A. In Episode 7, of the final Season 7, "May Be the Last Time". Vampire Bill is dying of an accelerated version of the Hep-V virus, and this scene is a dream flashback to his human past, before he was turned. In the scene, set in 1855 (shortly before the Civil War), we see Bill in the Comptons' family stables, saddling a horse, and talking to his father. His father tells him that Bill must marry the neighbor's daughter, a woman he has never met, named Caroline Shelby. He tells Bill that he (the father) is dying, and that the marriage is essential in order to combine the families' lands, and ensure economic security for the soon-to-be widowed mother. His father assures Bill that he will like Caroline, referring to her "comely".

The location: The Compton Family Stables

The use of that word leads Bill to assume that she must be older and unattractive, but he still agrees to go through with the arranged meeting.
Later, when he actually meets Caroline Shelby, Bill is somewhat shocked to find that she is indeed a beautiful young woman.

Q. What is it actually, in real life?

A. A stable, but nowhere near Louisiana.

A. This handsome, ornate stable and carriage barn was built for Lucky Baldwin, a real estate tycoon who played a major role in the history of early Los Angeles, and whose estate is now a public garden.
This stable & carriage barn was constructed circa 1885, shortly after the Civil War, not far from Baldwin's Victorian guest home (now known as the Queen Anne Cottage) on the Baldwin Estate, in what is now Arcadia, CA.

The Baldwin estate (named Santa Anita) is now the Los Angeles Arboretum, and lies across the street (northwest of) from the popular race track that bears its former name: Santa Anita.

You'll find it at 301 N. Baldwin Ave, in Arcadia, CA.  The Arboretum is open to the public, so you can visit and see both the Cottage and the stables for yourself (in addition to the Arboretum's fine gardens).

The Coach Barn (as they like to call this stable building) sits about 150 yards southwest of the Queen Anne Cottage, between that home and the rose garden.  Like the cottage, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built to house Baldwin's many carriages, as well as the horses that drew them.

This isn't your typical stable.  Befitting its multimillionaire owner, these horse stalls are crafted of polished redwood & cedar, and decorated with elaborate iron grillwork.  The building's exterior is, like the Queen Anne Cottage, another bit of Victorian extravagance   (There is even a matching Victorian dog house nearby, which once housed the bull mastiffs that helped guard the Baldwin estate.)

The city of Arcadia lies about six miles east of Pasadena, CA (home of the world-famous Rose Bowl & Rose Parade), and about 15 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

You can read more about the Arboretum here.   (If you haven't yet been there, I strongly suggest a visit.)


Here is a photo of the stables that I shot back in 2006:



and this photo, that I shot of the exterior of the building:




  Here is an aerial photo of the coach barn.  And here is a map link.

A.  I have visited the L.A. Arboretum on several occasions, and I photographed this stable in detail back in 2004. There aren't many stables this opulent, so I naturally recognized it when I saw it in the episode.