A spacious downtown Phoenix penthouse measuring just under 2,700 square feet is on the market.
The property at 114 W. Adams Street is part of what used to be known as the Title and Trust Building, an Art Deco-designed structure completed in 1931 that is now listed on the Register of Historic Places. The unit features exposed brick walls, double-pane windows, and deep cherry floors.
But while the architectural splendor of what is now the Orpheum Lofts may appeal to would-be owners, what will most likely really captivate them is the fact that the penthouse was used for a part of one of the most famous horror films ever.
That movie is Psycho and was directed by the great filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. Filmed between late 1959 and February of 1960, the movie was released in the summer of 1960 to mostly positive reviews and an ultimate box office of more than $50 million.
The opening shots of the famous movie were filmed from the perspective of the penthouse, as the camera provides a panoramic view of downtown Phoenix and the nearby Camelback Mountains.
A longer shot of the then-Jefferson Hotel at 101 S. Central Avenue, now the Barrister Building, is then taken, also from the penthouse, giving Psycho fans two Phoenix landmarks to treasure.
The penthouse, with two bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, has a price tag of $2.2 million.
A viewer comment on YouTube showing a glimpse of Psycho’s opening scene remarked that it was “still the scariest scene in the picture—have you priced Phoenix real estate today?”
May 30, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Vintage movie poster
