The 2003 Christmas classic Elf and the Ghostbusters franchise share a fascinating connection. Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Will Ferrell as Buddy, Elf still stands as one of the holiday season’s most beloved movies. On the other hand, three films have followed in the footsteps of 1984’s Ghostbusters, which stars the likes of Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Raymond Stantz, Harold Ramis as Dr. Egon Spengler, Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett, Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddmore, and Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz. Elf‘s spirited and comedic story sees Buddy, a human who was raised as one of Santa’s elves, leave his home in the North Pole to find his real dad in New York City. He later discovers that his biological father Walter Hobbs, portrayed by James Caan, is the disgruntled head of a children’s book publishing company who initially frowns upon the unanticipated arrival of his son. Director Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters also takes viewers to the Big Apple, focusing on the titular band of paranormal investigators as they answer the call when an otherwordly apparition begins haunting the city.
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As one of the world’s most in-demand citites for filming motion pictures, New York boasts an abundance of famous buildings across its five boroughs, offering no shortage of possibilities for projects to use as a stage. Even though Elf and Ghostbusters both take place in the city, it’s rare for two films to contain a specific overlap when it comes to the sites where production took place. However, Elf and Ghostbusters share one location that holds a deep importance for the main characters of each story.
What Detail Do Elf and Ghostbusters Have in Common?
The surprising crossover between the movies involves the home of Elf‘s Walter and Ghostbuster‘s Dana, a musician who is the Ghostbusters’ first client in the film. Dana also appears in 1989’s Ghostbusters II and 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Interestingly, Walter and Dana happen to live in the same apartment building. Ghostbusters reveals that Dana’s unit lies on the 22nd floor of 55 Central Park West in New York City, which is the same apartment building where Buddy’s dad Walter resides in Elf. Located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan between 65th and 66th Streets, the structure is referred to as 550 Central Park West, the Shandor Building, and “Spook Central” in Ghostbusters.
The real-life apartment building was constructed in 1929 and opened a year later. 55 Central Park West housed numerous celebrities in the decades since its completion, including Ginger Rogers and Calvin Klein, according to the New York Times. The lore behind Ghostbusters‘ 550 Central Park West implicates Ivo Shandor, the architect of the building who founded the Cult of Gozer to worship the movie’s main villain Gozer the Gozerian. Shandor designed the building with the intention of summoning the demonic entity in order to destroy the world. Louis Tully (Rick Moranis), another character in Ghostbusters, also lives at 550 Central Park West.
What 55 Central Park West Means for Elf and Ghostbusters
This subtle connection between Elf and Ghostbusters may appear arbitrary at first glance, however, 55 Central Park West serves as a significant location in both movies. In Elf, the home of Buddy’s real family represents the story’s core theme, as it’s where the titular character interacts with Walter and his son Michael (Daniel Tay), eventually building a lasting relationship with them. Buddy’s first encounter with society outside of the North Pole presents plenty of obstacles, but he finally finds a second home at 55 Central Park West, while Walter learns to accept his estranged son into his family.
In Ghostbusters, the group gets its start at 55 Central Park West. The building serves as the primary site for the film’s supernatural events involving Gozer. 55 Central Park West also appears in Ghostbusters II and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, making it one of the franchise’s most important locations.
Given the longstanding stature of Elf and Ghostbusters as two classic titles in movie history, it’s fitting that they have this unique connection. At the same time, 55 Central Park West, has cemented itself as one of New York’s many iconic filming locations, and has even been dubbed “the Ghostbusters buildng” since the movie’s release.
