Universal demolished ‘Meet Frankenstein’ stages in 2017

Universal Studios in Hollywood demolished some of its original historic sound stages as part of a five-year plan to expand the theme park and upgrade its production facilities. Thirteen stages on the old Lower Lot have been razed in the past few years, including the Phantom Stage, built for Lon Chaney’s classic Phantom of the Opera (1925), and Stage 22, which was home to the Baggage Room and House of Horror sets in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. (The castle and laboratory sets were built on other surviving stages, including nearby Stage 17.)

Stage 22 (which was number 19 until the 1960s) and adjacent stages 23, 24 and 25 are rumored to be replaced by Super Nintendo World.

The Phantom Stage, also known as Stage 28, featured a famous replica of the auditorium of the Paris Opera House. The ornate set, likely the oldest surviving in Hollywood, was removed and put into storage before demolition in 2014. Stage 28 was also used for the Dance Pavilion in Meet Frankenstein, the gym in Here Come The Co-Eds, and the boxing ring in Meet the Invisible Man.

The last of ten new stages are scheduled to be completed this year on the Back Lot, behind Courthouse Square where the man-made Park Lake was located.