"The Wire" Was Filmed Where Wegmans Now Stands

Update - Sept. 12, 5:30 p.m.

We can now safely confirm that this building, now demolished, is where "The Wire" filmed interior scenes in Columbia.

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, who played a reporter in two scenes in the series, said he filmed a scene at the building, which is where Wegmans is now.


Also, user Jonathan Dudley Buckingham posted a comment about an event the show had at the building in which many of the actors appeared, where he took  a picture with Wendell Pierce, a.k.a. "Bunk" Moreland.

Original Story - Thursday, Sept. 12, 3:20 p.m.

During the production of "The Wire", the gritty, celebrated HBO series that centers around police and crime in Baltimore, producers never really revealed where their Columbia soundstage was located.

They even managed to keep it under wraps after a burglar was caught by a security guard inside the concrete warehouse after hours, according to a 2007 Baltimore Sun report. That report said the location was "off Snowden River Parkway near Route 175."


The show moved to a location in Columbia, after its lease on a Baltimore warehouse ran out in 2005, according to the Washington Post. The article said the show moved its offices and interior sets, including the police station and newsroom, to the Columbia location.
Some evidence suggests it may have been a warehouse at the location where Wegmans now stands.

A September 2005 report from costar.com said that HBO leased the entire 120,526-square-foot industrial building at 8855 McGaw Road for one year.

Reddit user louielouayyyyy posted photos that he claimed were from inside that building showing remnants from the show in 2008. (Posted above)

"We just opened the front door. Most of the good stuff was auctioned off. The warehouse was a combination of a sound studio (gone), Mayor's office set (gone), newspaper office set, police office set, costume/prop storage, and a few other small sets," wrote the Reddit user in the comments.

One of those pictures featured the facade of the former Allegiance Healthcare Corp. building, which was located at 8855 McGaw Road before being demolished to make way for Wegmans.