Could The Addams Family’s Home Be From Central New York?
A spooky rumor in Central New York suggests that The Addams Family’s mansion was inspired by a college building. Is the creepy, kooky house of Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, and Pugsley Addams really linked to Syracuse University?
Architectural Inspiration from Syracuse University
Syracuse University’s Hall of Languages, designed in 1873 by Horatio Nelson White, features a Second Empire style with spooky towers and ornate windows—qualities that match the Gothic charm of the Addams Family home perfectly.
Local Connections Fuel the Legend
According to syracuse.com, screenwriter Seaman Jacobs, who contributed scripts for The Addams Family and graduated from Syracuse University in 1932, also wrote for the campus humor magazine, The Orange Peel. One of his 1964 show scripts is preserved in the university’s special collections.
Biographer's Account
Victor Bockris, in his 1994 biography Transformer: The Lou Reed Story, described the Hall of Languages as looking like "something straight out of a horror movie about college life." He claimed a show writer from SU’s era used it as inspiration for the Addams’ home, though he did not name the writer and no proof exists.
Summary
This charming rumor connects the iconic Addams Family mansion to Central New York through Syracuse University’s striking Hall of Languages and the involvement of an SU alumnus in the show's creation, though definitive proof remains elusive.