The Real Building Behind the Power Rangers Command Center

For millions of '90s kids, the Power Rangers Command Center was the ultimate secret headquarters—a gleaming, futuristic dome perched on a mountainside where Zordon dispensed wisdom and Alpha 5 chirped "Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!" But here's what most fans never realized: that building is completely real, and you can actually visit it.

The House of the Book

The Command Center is actually the House of the Book, a striking modernist structure located at the Brandeis-Bardin Campus of American Jewish University in Simi Valley, California. Designed by architect Sidney Eisenshtat and completed in 1973, the building was created to house Jewish cultural artifacts and serve as a conference center.

Its distinctive flying saucer shape—a white dome hovering above a circular base—made it the perfect stand-in for an intergalactic command post. When location scouts for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers spotted it in the early 1990s, they knew they'd found something special.

Why It Works So Perfectly

The building's design was actually inspired by ancient Israeli architecture, particularly desert fortresses. Eisenshtat wanted to create something that felt both timeless and otherworldly. That combination of ancient and futuristic is exactly why it reads so well as an alien headquarters.

• The elevated dome creates the illusion of a structure "floating" on the mountainside
• Its remote location in the Simi Hills added to the secretive, hidden-base aesthetic
• The stark white exterior photographs dramatically against California's blue skies
• Minimal windows give it an appropriately mysterious, bunker-like quality

A TV Legacy

The exterior shots of the House of the Book appeared in nearly every episode of the original series, establishing it as one of the most recognizable locations in children's television history. The interior Command Center scenes were filmed on a soundstage, but those sweeping exterior shots of the gleaming dome on the hillside? All real.

The building has since appeared in other productions, but it remains most famous for its Power Rangers connection. Fans still make pilgrimages to Simi Valley to see it in person—though the campus is private property, so viewing is typically from a distance.

Still Standing, Still Stunning

Today, the House of the Book continues to serve its original purpose as a Jewish cultural center while also embracing its unexpected pop culture legacy. The building underwent renovations in the 2010s but retains the iconic silhouette that made it famous.

For a generation of viewers, seeing the real Command Center is a strange experience. It's smaller than it looked on TV, as most filming locations are. But there's something magical about standing in the California hills and looking up at the same building where—at least in our imaginations—the fate of Angel Grove was decided week after week.

The next time you rewatch those classic episodes, remember: somewhere in Southern California, that futuristic dome is still perched on its hillside, ready for action.