Welcome to On Location, a weekly feature spotlighting landmarks and establishments seen on screen that viewers can visit IRL. Whether you’re seeking a fun selfie, breathtaking vistas, or maybe a show-accurate treat, follow along for some bucket list destinations.
Peacock’s Poker Face is known for its great guest stars. But in Charlie Cale’s (Natasha Lyonne) frantic and random efforts to flee from the mobster goons pursuing her also bring her to some unique and unusual locations. On Poker Face Season 2 Episode 2, “Last Looks,” she lands in the middle of a film production set up on location at the fictional Finch & Sons Funeral Home. In reality, they shot the film-within-the-show at The Armour-Stiner Octagon House in Irvington, NY.
Disclaimer: The following article contains plot spoilers for Poker Face Season 2 Episode 2, “Last Looks,” which dropped on May 8 on Peacock as part of the three-episode premiere event. If you haven’t watched it yet, you may want to stop here.
The Armour-Stiner Octagon House on Peacock’s Poker Face
Nearly the entirety of “Last Looks” takes place in and around the Finch & Sons Funeral Home. “Family owned since 1925,” the building houses both the business and Fred (Giancarlo Esposito) and Greta Finch’s (Katie Holmes) residence. In the context of the episode, Greta has arranged for a film crew to shoot an existential multi-verse murder movie inside the funeral home. Later, Fred kills Greta, cremates her, and presses her ashes into an LP record. Talk about a one-stop shop.
RELATED: Read our recap of Poker Face, “Last Looks”
Based on the virtual tour of the IRL rooms inside the Armour-Stiner Octagon House, the Finch & Sons Funeral Home interior shots were all shot in a studio set. This makes a lot of sense, as the Armour-Stiner Octagon House is still an active residence today.
It also looks like the Poker Face production made temporary changes to some of the house’s more showy exterior colors. For example, the deep red pillars around the veranda are a more muted gray on-screen. Again, since the house was playing a funeral home, the aesthetic changes made sense.
“Subvert Normality”
Built in 1859-60 by financier Paul J. Armour, the original structure was inspired by the designs of Orson Squire Fowler, who made octagon houses a real construction trend in the latter half of the 19th century. These houses were invariably two-storey structures with a flat roofline and a full basement that extended five feet above ground level.
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In 1872, Joseph H. Stiner, a New York City tea merchant, purchased the house as a holiday retreat. He made significant changes to both the interior and exterior look of the house. Most notably, Stiner added the two-storey dome, echoing the domed colonnade look of a Roman temple. He also added the veranda around the house, extending the house’s geographic footprint.
In 1975, after living in the aging home for thirty years, owners Carl and Betty Carmer sold the house to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for less than market value. Knowing that developers would tear it down, but recognizing that they did not have the resources to save it themselves, the Carmers hoped listing the house on the National Register of Historic Places would save and somehow preserve it.
The next year, the Trust listed the house to be sold back into private ownership under strict conditions, outlining a timeline for repair and restoration, as well as an agreement to maintain and preserve the historic boundaries of the property and the house’s exterior.
Joseph Pell Lombardi to the Rescue
Joseph Pell Lombardi rose to the occasion, proposing an innovative technique to keep the dome from collapsing by returning it to its original position and then installing a tension ring to secure it. In 1978, Lombardi and his wife, Nan, finalized the contract of sale.
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It’s been nearly 50 years since the work began to restore The Armour-Stiner Octagon House to its 1870s glory. Lombardi and his family have worked with a team of expert consultants, and to date, the structure has been stabilized, the exterior returned to the flamboyant colors of the Stiner era, and most interior rooms restored with original furniture pieces and wall treatments. The final stage is to complete the restoration of the basement rooms to their original look and function.
Getting Your Foot in the Door
The Armour-Stiner Octagon House is open for ticketed, guided tours. The tours are seasonally themed, and it’s highly recommended you book before visiting. All proceeds from tour ticket sales and the gift shop fund the house’s restoration work.
Before its appearance in Poker Face, The Armour-Stiner Octagon House featured in the 1981 horror movie, The Nesting. In the 2007 Beatles jukebox musical, Across the Universe, the house’s exterior is glimpsed as part of the “Magical Mystery Tour.”
RELATED: Read our Poker Face recaps
Poker Face drops new episodes every Thursday on Peacock.
- On Location: The Armour-Stiner Octagon House on POKER FACE - May 12, 2025
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