In House M.D., which fictional address echoes Sherlock Holmes’s famous London home?

In House M.D., Gregory House’s address is 221B Baker Street, echoing Sherlock Holmes’s famous London home.

House is intentionally modeled on Holmes, and the address is one of the series’ clearest references. Holmes lives at 221B Baker Street in Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories, while House lives at 221B Baker Street in Princeton, New Jersey.

The parallel extends beyond the address. House and Holmes both rely on observation and deductive reasoning, have difficult personalities, and maintain close relationships with loyal companions. James Wilson fills a Watson-like role, although the medical and personal dynamics are adapted for a modern hospital drama.

The reference is easy to miss because House’s address appears as a detail within the fictional American setting. It is not intended to suggest that the New Jersey location is literally the same place as Holmes’s London residence.