657 Boulevard: Is It A Real House In Westfield? Who Lives There Now?
The Netflix series ‘The Watcher’ centres around Dean (Bobby Cannavale) and Nora Brannock (Naomi Watts), who spend their whole savings on their ideal house at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. However, as soon as they move in, they begin getting alarming messages from someone claiming to be the Watcher. The letters go into great detail about 657 Boulevard, with the Watcher saying that their family has been watching the property for decades. Dean and Nora’s two young children were referred to as “young blood.”
‘The Watcher’ is a real crime series based on an actual family’s story. Here’s what you need to know if you’re wondering if the house shown in the show is real.
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Is 657 Boulevard a Real House?
‘The Watcher’ is based on author Reeves Wiedeman’s 2018 essay, which appeared in The Cut of New York magazine. The article provides a thorough narrative of what occurred based on the family’s view of what occurred in actual life. Derek and Maria Broaddus have three children, as opposed to the Brannucks’ two in the program. The original house exists, despite the fact that the Netflix miniseries was filmed in Westchester County, New York, with the property at 1 Warriston Lane in Rye serving as a surrogate for 657 Boulevard.
657 Boulevard, a 4,000-square-foot mansion built in 1905, has six bedrooms and four bathrooms. Weideman describes 657 Boulevard as “perhaps the grandest residence on the street.” The Broadduses paid more than $1.35 million for the property from its former owners, the Woodses, in 2014. They never did move into the house. When the first letter arrived, they were staying with Maria’s parents while the renovations were being completed.
In total, the family received three letters. They approached law enforcement, but the investigation failed, and the Watcher is still evading capture to this day. Derek and Maria decided to put the house back on the market about six months after they purchased it. They initially sought for more than they paid, hoping to be reimbursed for the remodeling work they had done on the property. Unfortunately, they had disseminated the news of the letters far and wide. 657 Boulevard eventually sold for $959,000 in 2019, resulting in a $400,000 loss for the Broaddus family.
Who Lives at 657 Boulevard Now?
The genuine Watcher’s three letters to the Broadduses revealed an intimate understanding of the land. “657 Boulevard has been a family obsession for decades, and as it approaches its 110th birthday, I’ve been assigned the task of observing and waiting for its second coming.” My grandpa kept an eye on the house in the 1920s, and my father kept an eye on it in the 1960s. It’s now my turn. Do you know anything about the house’s history? Do you know what’s behind the doors of 657 Boulevard? What brings you here? “I shall find out,” wrote the Watcher in the first letter.
In July 2019, the Broaddus family reportedly sold 657 Boulevard to Andrew and Allison Carr. Following the transaction, the Broadduses left a letter for the new owners with their real estate attorney. “We wish you nothing except the calm and tranquility that we once imagined in this house,” added the note. They also included a photocopy of the Watcher’s handwriting so that if the stalker sent any additional letters, the new owners would be able to identify them. However, according to Weideman, the Carr family has yet to receive such a letter.
The Broadduses never moved into the house on 657 Boulevard
Before moving in, the Broaddus family decided to renovate the $1.3 million property. They continued to receive letters while working on renovations, which were primarily internal and not apparent.
“The house is crying from the pain it is experiencing. “You’ve modified it and made it so fancy,” said one letter.
Beauty
Dermatologists have authorized the following 19 anti-aging products.
A further letter requested the repatriation of the “young blood” — possibly the Broaddus’ children: “Let the young blood sleep in 657 Boulevard. Stop tinkering with it and leave it alone.”
The family opted to sell the residence six months after receiving the first letter. They were living with Maria’s mother at the time. They rented out their residence for a while.
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The Watcher’s identity is not known
The Westfield police department, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, a private investigator, and the couple themselves investigated the letters’ origins.
While there were some leads, the writer’s identity has yet to be determined. According to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation is no longer active but is not yet closed.
The family sold the house in 2019
According to NJ.com, the Broadduses relisted the house in 2019 and it sold to a couple for $959,000.
The new inhabitants, according to The Cut, have not received any messages from “The Watcher.”
As for where the family is now? They still live near the house
The Broaddus family still resides in Westfield, despite the fact that they never moved into the house at 657 Boulevard, according to The Cut.
Westfield is a town located little under an hour from New York. According to Bloomberg, Westfield was ranked the 99th highest-income city in the United States in March 2018.
And yes, the Broaddus family knows about the TV show
According to The Cut, the Broaddus family requested two things when selling the rights to their story: that the project not use their last name (it’s Brannock in the show) and that the family not look like theirs.
Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts play the core pair in the show.
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