[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG9LfXVZJOM]From the Onion A.V. Club: "The Royal Tenenbaums is set in New York, but not really. The city viewers see in the film certainly looks like New York, but the names have been changed. Consequently, the house that Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) bought in the winter of his 35th year is located on Archer Avenue in the film, not in Harlem on Convent Avenue at 144th Street, as it is in real life. "Like its cinematic counterpart, the house is a private residence—but it’s a big place, so it’s also home to the Lana Woods Gallery, which specializes in 'African-American masterworks.' The gallery’s schedule unfortunately precluded us from getting interior footage, but Associate Producer Will Sweeney told us that the inside is much the same as it looks in The Royal Tenenbaums. With the exception of Anjelica Huston’s study, all of the interiors were shot in the house—as well as the exteriors. Luke Wilson’s rooftop birdcage was on the roof, Owen Wilson’s apartment is across the street, and the embassy is next door.
"The house had been in foreclosure until the current owners purchased it, but tracking them down was so problematic that director Wes Anderson finally just left a note on the front door—which surprisingly worked. The new owners hadn’t moved in yet, and the house needed major repairs, so the director really had a blank canvas. The house being empty also helped the production make some structural improvements so the building could sustain the strenuous filming process." Full article here.