Q. What is it supposed to be on the show? A. A residential home. Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show? A. Somewhere in Miami. Q. When did we see it on the show? A. In Episode 10, of Season 5, "In The Beginning". Lumen has spoken with Emily Birch, the first victim of Jordan Chase, and has learned that the unknown face in the photo of Chase's rape gang (when they were teens) was a banker named Alex Tilden. We first see this white house almost accidentally, in a night scene intended to show Alex Tilden's house. This house, next door to Tilden's, has a "For Sale" sign outside. Alex comes home to find Dexter & Lumen waiting for him, and he winds up on Dexter's table in a kill room. Lumen ends his life with a knife thrust to the heart. At first, we are led to believe that the kill room was constructed in Alex's home. But when the police arrive at Tilden's house, and find it empty, the camera pans to the white house next door, and we learn that this vacant, neighboring house was where Dexter & Lumen actually built the kill room. Later on, Vince Masuka reports that he noticed a smell of bleach in the vacant house, and he speculates (correctly) that the vigilante killer might have offed Alex Tilden right there in the house next door. Q. What is it actually in real life? A. A residential home. Q. Where can I find it in real life? A. This house is located at 3048 E. 1st Street, in Long Beach, CA. It's next door to (directly east of) Alex Tilden's own home. They added the "For Sale" sign to the lawn, plus the fountain to the right side of the porch.

(Ironic, but in Google StreetView, there's a "For Sale" sign on the lawn of Alex's house, but not at this house.)

Both homes are on the south side of 1st Street, just west of Paloma Avenue.

That's just two blocks west of Dexter's old house - (although they're on the other side of the street).

And it's a block southwest of where they filmed the earlier scene of an angry Astor yelling at Dexter.

Also nearby is Astor's grandparents' house, her friend Olivia's house, and the beach restroom where Dexter abducted Lance.

The scene of the barrel girls accident is less than two miles to the east.





I shot the photos below in September 2010:




[ Warning: This is a private home.  Do not trespass on their property, knock on their door,
or do anything else that might disturb the residents. ]



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

Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

A.  In previous seasons, I've usually had to hunt down the locations after viewing the episodes, using clues from the various scenes.  By the 5th season, though, I'd developed a small group of fans, spies & tipsters who kept an eye out for Dexter filming in their neighborhoods, and would let me know in advance when something was about to film there.

Between those reports, and my own personal reconnaissance around town, by the time the first episode aired, I already knew most (but not all) of the filming locations, and only needed to watch the episodes and match up the scenes with the correct locations.

This group of helpful fans includes Kerry, Rick, Joel, Geoff, Ellen, Julie, Susan, Jeff, and others. My thanks to all of them.

After hearing from Rick that they would be filming on First Street, I drove past on the day of filming, and saw them prepping the two houses, adding extra foliage, and putting that "For Sale" sign on the lawn.  So I had identified the exact locations, and had shot the photos you see above, long before the episode even aired.

During the filming, Julie also was kind enough to let me know they were shooting there at night. (Thanks, Julie & Rick!)