Series Summary
The Nancy Drew series (2019–2023), created by Noga Landau, Josh Schwartz, and Stephanie Savage, is a supernatural drama mystery that reimagines the classic literary sleuth. The show, set in a fictional coastal village called Horseshoe Bay, Maine, revolves around Nancy Drew, aged 18, who gets pulled back into her detective ways by a murder in her hometown. The mystery, however, crosses over into the paranormal and arcane.
Beyond its smoothly paced storytelling, what makes the series more immersive is its richly realized atmosphere of the architectural environment. The built environment is a silent character that grounds both the affective tone and story flow. With its dark, fog-shrouded streets, colonial residences, and shadowed landmarks, Horseshoe Bay itself seems a living enigma.
Despite being produced in Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver, British Columbia, the fictional town draws significantly from the architectural and cultural traditions of New England. Every building, alley, and interior design element presents a designed layering of history, deterioration, and local identity informing character development and plot.
Site Context: The Familiar yet Fictional Horseshoe Bay
Horseshoe Bay exists in a serene, tight-knit coastal village in northern Maine. Architectural and cultural life here harks back to traditional values in New England—simple, solidly built structures, conservative decoration, and a reverence for tradition. The roadways are characterized by narrow, curvilinear thoroughfares, clapboard houses, shingled roofs, and seaside buildings designed to weather the unpredictable weather along the North Atlantic.
These are characterized by a few recurring landmarks: The Claw restaurant, Drew’s residence, The Historical Society Building, The Horseshoe Bay Police Department, and Icarus Hall. All contribute not just to the visual identity of the show, but also to its storytelling. The architectural language of the town focuses on local building materials, traditional building techniques, and a hint of foreboding appropriate to the show’s supernatural premise.
Climatic Setting of the Site
Although filmed in British Columbia, this series is based on Maine’s coastal environment, marked by long, chilly winters, and hot, humid summers. Its real-world counterpart, Bar Harbor, Maine, sees significant snowfall, fog, and coastal storms. Structures in this environment need to be constructed in a way capable of enduring heavy rains, harsh winds, and varying temperatures.
Historically, this translates to steeply pitched roofs for shedding snow, clapboard or shingle siding for rain-shedding, and central hearths for winter heating. Coastal fog and salt air also require decay- and corrosion-resisting materials. These climatically responsive design aspects are evident throughout the series, working to create a sense of realism in the environment and to reinforce the dark, mist-shrouded atmosphere at Horseshoe Bay.
Architectural Features & Major Landmarks
Architecture that exists throughout the series includes sloped, shingled roofs for efficient drainage and shedding of snow, clapboards for weather resistance, double-hung sash windows for controlling ventilation, timber construction with exposed beams for stability and stylistic verisimilitude, elevated plinths for flood avoidance, etc. These are firmly embedded within New England vernacular architecture and are both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
Nancy Drew’s house is a classic colonial-style house from New England, having a central brick chimney, symmetrical fenestration, and a gabled roof. Its historic detailing, muted colors, and wooden clapboards evoke a sense of tradition and stability. The inside boasts wooden floors made from wide planks, antique pieces of furniture, and multiple tiers of textures, creating a sense of memory and warmth within Nancy’s personal space.
The Claw restaurant, a repurposed boathouse turned seaside café, sits upon a wooden-decked pier with harborside windows, large and storm-proof. Nautical design touches—fishing nets, open beams, salvaged timber—combine to form a weathered, rustic atmosphere. A social nexus in this town, it harmoniously unites heritage and functionality.
The Historic Society Building stands as a dramatic piece of Gothic Revival architecture, boasting pointed-arch windows, dark-wood wainscoting, steeply pitched slate roofs, and finely carved stonework. The atmosphere it creates is scholarly, mysterious, and mystical—appropriate for a building containing centuries’ worth of town secrets and spectral legends.
The Horseshoe Bay Police Department’s utilitarian design uses red brick walls, level roofs, and little decoration. Its plain, practical design bespeaks institutional power and its effective distance from the more mystical nature of the town.
Icarus Hall, a later addition, weighs more heavily with its use of Tudor Revival architecture—steeply gabled roofs, stonework cladding, timber details, and mullioned windows. Its somewhat isolated site and large scale both reflect power and mystique. Within, shadowed lighting, lofted ceilings, and mystical symbols intensify the building’s status as a spiritual and occult headquarters within the story. Its architecture is dramatic but highly atmospheric.
Architectural Suggestions Dependent Upon Site and Climate Context
These architectural principles are most effective and contextually suitable for a coastal New England community like Horseshoe Bay:
- Steeply sloping roofs allow for rain and snow drainage
- Cedar clapboard siding or cedar shingle siding for traditional styling and moisture resistance
- Elevated foundations or plinths to counter flood threats from coastal storms
- Insulated storm windows for thermal comfort, wind resistance
- Locally quarried stone and timber treated to minimize weathering and help the local economy
- Covered porches and broad eaves provide cover from rain and snow
Regional development guidelines within actual towns, such as Bar Harbo, require historic-style preservation. Renovations and new buildings are required to keep up with the appearance of surrounding buildings, use muted color schemes, and adhere to height and massing regulations in order to preserve sightlines and historic value.
Practice vs. Reality
The Nancy Drew series fares well in bringing the spirit of architecture in New England to its fictional environment. Most buildings—such as The Claw and Drew’s residence—are not just accurate when it comes to appearance but are also climatically conscious, characterized by pitched roofs, wood cladding, and a consistent material palette. They are a balance between realism and the requirements of the story.
But structures such as Icarus Hall and the Historical Society stretch credibility in the interests of symbolic narration. They sacrifice climatic functionality or code compliance for dramatic flair—steep Gothic arches, occult symbolism, and large volumes. Likewise, the police department’s stark contrast creates a visual respite at the cost of compromising architectural continuity.
As a whole, Horseshoe Bay is a well-designed architectural setting. Through its buildings, the series effectively obscures the distinction between historical verisimilitude and supernatural realism, developing a sense of a town that is both real and haunted.
References:
- Atlas of Wonders – Nancy Drew filming locations
https://www.atlasofwonders.com - Nancy Drew Wiki – Horseshoe Bay, Maine
https://nancydrew.fandom.com/wiki/Horseshoe_Bay,_Maine - Weather and Climate – Horseshoe Bay, Canada
https://weather-and-climate.com - https://www.hotstar.com/in/shows/nancy-drew/1971002921
