Tyler Perry Built a White House Replica - Then the Secret Service Used It

When Tyler Perry purchased a decommissioned US Army installation in southwest Atlanta in 2015, most people assumed he was building a film studio. They were right - but they underestimated the scale of what he had in mind.

A Former Army Base Becomes a Film Empire

Fort McPherson was established in 1885 and served as a major US Army command center for over a century. Named for Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson - a Union general killed during the Battle of Atlanta in 1864 - the 500-acre base closed in 2011 when FORSCOM relocated to Fort Bragg. Perry bought 330 acres of the site for $30 million in 2015 and invested around $250 million total to build it out.

Bigger Than Hollywood's Biggest

Tyler Perry Studios opened in October 2019. At 330 acres, it is larger than Disney (51 acres), Warner Bros. (110 acres), and Paramount (65 acres) - 226 acres combined. The complex houses 12 sound stages, a full residential neighborhood, an airport terminal set, two baseball fields, a golf course, a strip mall, and a relocated 1950s diner brought in from a town 100 miles away.

The White House - Built in 12 Weeks

The most unusual structure on the lot is a three-story, 80%-scale replica of the White House, built as the permanent set for Perry's BET drama series "The Oval." Perry made four separate visits to the actual White House before construction began. The replica went up in about 12 weeks. The columns are load-bearing, every toilet flushes, and each floor is wheelchair accessible. The exterior, West Wing, and Oval Office interior are all reproduced.

Then the Secret Service Showed Up

In 2023, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle collaborated with Perry and his team to study the replica. The agency ran a scenario-based training exercise at the facility - assessing whether a similar structure could be built in Maryland for training future agents and partner law enforcement agencies. The reason: the agency lacked adequate dedicated training facilities and was planning to build its own replica White House. Perry's set was available in the meantime.

Perry became a Forbes-certified billionaire in September 2020.