Alexander Payne's The Holdovers didn't rely on Hollywood backlots or soundstages to recreate its frozen 1970 New England atmosphere. Instead, director of photography Eigil Bryld and the production crew shot the entire film on location across Massachusetts between January and March 2022. If you've wondered how the fictional Barton Academy looks so convincingly lived-in, the secret is that it wasn't just one school—it was a careful patchwork of five distinct historic Massachusetts campuses, paired with authentic small-town streetscapes and snowy urban backdrops.
Understanding where the movie was made requires looking past any single address. Payne stitched together specific architectural elements from different institutions to build a cohesive visual world, using one school for its chapel, another for its gym, and a third for its study halls.
The Five Campuses That Created Barton Academy
The fictional elite boarding school of Barton Academy is a cinematic composite. To pull off the illusion of a sprawling, decades-old New England institution, the production team utilized five real-world educational properties across the state.
Groton School
Located in Groton, Massachusetts, this prestigious prep school provided several of the movie's most iconic architectural anchors. The stately Groton School Chapel and the campus boathouse sitting near the Nashua River both appear on screen, giving the film its solemn, traditional aesthetic. For additional background on this development, extensive coverage can also be found at The New York Times.
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield's historic campus added an authentic layer of scholarly gravity to the production. The school's reception spaces and classic study rooms—complete with traditional green-shaded desk lamps—doubled as key interior locations where Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) oversees his stranded students.
St. Mark's School
Situated in Southborough, St. Mark's handled a heavy load of the daily student life sequences. Interior spaces including the school's historic dining hall, hallways, faculty rooms, Elkins Gymnasium, and the trophy room were all utilized during production. If you want to read more about the history of these grounds, check out the St. Mark's School official site.
Fairhaven High School
While the other major schools were private institutions, Fairhaven High School offered a stunning public architectural backdrop. Its intricate stone masonry, grand corridors, and the stage inside Knipe Auditorium served as filming sites for several classroom and interior drama sequences.
Northfield Mount Hermon School
Located in Gill, this coeducational boarding school contributed further academic atmosphere to the film. Its campus grounds and chapel interiors helped round out the various exterior shots and transitional spaces required to make Barton Academy feel massive and complete.
Shelburne Falls and the Town of Barton
When Paul, Angus, and Mary step off campus into the local town, the snowy village you're seeing is actually Shelburne Falls, a historic district located in western Massachusetts.
The production utilized Shelburne Falls for exterior establishing shots to represent the town surrounding Barton Academy. Key local spots, including storefronts along the Deerfield River and historic bridge views, provided that frozen, mid-century temporal anchor. For background on the region's preservation efforts, visit the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.
The local bar and liquor store scenes that play a pivotal role in the narrative were also captured in and around Shelburne Falls. While set dressers altered the interiors to fit a gritty 1970s aesthetic, the authentic rustic charm of the neighborhood remained entirely untouched.
Boston Urban and Off-Campus Locations
As the story shifts away from the school during the holiday break, the characters venture out into urban environments to deepen their emotional journeys.
Filmmakers shot several key street sequences and transitional driving scenes in Greater Boston. Landmarks such as Boston Common, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and areas surrounding Boston City Hall appeared during trips into the city. Additional regional scenes were captured in nearby Worcester, Wakefield, and Southborough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Barton Academy a real school?
No, Barton Academy is entirely fictional. Director Alexander Payne constructed the identity of the school by combining architecture from five different Massachusetts schools.
Was the snow in the movie real?
Yes. The production intentionally scheduled filming for the peak of the New England winter—running from January through March 2022—to capture authentic snowfall, though crew members occasionally moved natural snow around with wheelbarrows to maintain continuity.
Can visitors tour the filming locations?
While you can freely walk around public areas like Shelburne Falls, Boston Common, and the exterior town streets, the private boarding schools like Groton and Deerfield have restricted campus access for security and privacy reasons.
Where can I stream The Holdovers?
Streaming availability changes frequently by region, but you can check current distribution rights and platform details via official databases like IMDb.
