'Five Year Engagement' filming at Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Palmer House

AnnArbor.com file photo

The production team of the Jason Segel/Emily Blunt romantic comedy “Five Year Engagement” has been making itself at home since Tuesday at a local architectural treasure — Ann Arbor’s Frank Lloyd Wright Palmer House, which owner Jeff Schox rents out as a high-end hotel.

“They were doing setup on Sunday and Monday,” said Sue Cox, Schox’s mother, who manages the house with husband Gary Cox. “They’ve been filming Tuesday, Wednesday, and today, and they’re supposed to strike the set tomorrow.”

The “Engagement” team first expressed an interest in filming at the Palmer House in January, and according to Gary Cox, the set will stand in for a character’s home.

But the whole process has made him a bit nervous.

“There is probably, at any one point in time, 50 or 60 or 70 people on the property, and because (the Palmer House) is a national treasure, … you just hold your breath, watching all the cameras and equipment and lights go through,” said Gary Cox. “But the people from Universal been extremely cooperative with us. They understand the sensitive nature of the house, so they wrap things and protect things.

“ … The house wasn’t designed to be a movie set, it’s a home, so there’s been a lot of compromise on both sides. There have been a lot of things we said they can’t do. But we also feel this is important for Ann Arbor, important for Michigan, and important for the state’s film industry to have this kind of exposure. So we’ve been doing whatever we can to give them some latitude, but still preserve the house.”

“Engagement”’s film shoots at Palmer House have gone late into the evening (past midnight), so Gary Cox emphasized that today was the “last planned day — but this is Hollywood.”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.