One of my personal favourite movies, Independence Day is a 1996 action/sci-fi blockbuster. It’s ensemble cast includes Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Margaret Colin, Judd Hirsch, Randy Quaid, and others. It was by far the highest grossing movie of the year, and still holds up as one of the most iconic movies of the 90s.
The movie not only takes place all over the US, but was filmed in a number of locations as well. Because of this, I’m still working on visiting some the locations from the movie. As my site features my own photos I take when I am traveling, it means I need to get to all the places that the movie was filmed. At this point, I’ve visited enough locations to publish this page, however I’ll keep updating it as I get to more places.
The White House
The White House is one of the main locations in Independence Day, with a number of pivotal scenes taking place there. For establishing shots, the movie featured shots of the real White House in Washington DC. The historic house, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is one of the world’s most famous buildings.
Due to the nature of the business happening in the White House, filming is obviously not permitted on the property. Due to this, a recreation was built on Disney’s Golden Oaks Ranch just outside Santa Clarita.
Independence Day shows three locations as the main targets of the alien attack, with the White House being one of those locations. For the actual scene of the White House being blown up by the aliens, a model was used, obviously.
Empire State Building
The second target of the attack is the Empire State Building in New York City. The historic building opened in 1931 and has been a symbol of the city ever since. Shots of the building are featured in the movie, but models were also used. In addition to the explosion scene, there’s also some establishing shots that are not the real building. It’s easy to tell because it shows an avenue ending in front of the Empire State Building. This is geographically inaccurate, as the building is located on a city block.
US Bank Tower Building
The third target attacked by aliens in the US Bank Tower Building in downtown Los Angeles. Like the other two spots, the real building was used for establishing shots. However another model was used for the explosion.
The Chess Park
In one of the first scenes, we see David playing chess with his father, Julius. They are playing in a park with the Manhattan skyline in the background. These scenes were filmed at Donnelly Memorial Park, located in West New York, New Jersey.
Captain Hillier’s house
As Steve Hillier heads outside of his house, he sees his neighbours panicking as they leave the area. He looks up and sees the giant spaceship over the LA sky line. Steve shares the house with Jasmine and her son Dylan. The house is located at 6033 West 74th Street in Los Angeles.
Metlife Building
When the alien ship moves across Manhattan, we see it fly over the Metlife Building, casting a shadow down onto the city.
The Car Smash Intersection
In New York City, a number of cars end up smashing into each other as they are distracted by the alien ship. The filming of this was at the intersection of Church St & Leonard St in downtown Manhattan.
Julius’s House
When David goes to pick up his father, Julius, we get a glimpse of his house and neighbourhood. Julius’s house is located at 36 64th Street in West New York, New Jersey.
First Lady’s Hotel
The First Lady is at a hotel in Los Angeles when she is evacuated by helicopter from the roof. These scenes were filmed at the Millenium Biltmore Hotel. This hotel is also seen in the movie Ghostbusters. Specifically, we see the First Lady taking a phone call from her husband just outside these elevators, and overlooking the large room below.
The Pyramids
As the alien ships come down around the world, we see a montage of locations. One location is the Pyramids in Giza. The most famous pyramids in Egypt are the last surviving of the original Seven Wonders of the World.
Sydney Operahouse
Another location during that montage is the Sydney Operahouse. The famous Australian landmark is located on Sydney Harbour.
As I mentioned above, I hope to update this page with more Independence Day locations in the future.
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