Meredith's House

“	Listen, that house was always open. Even when Mer hated me, I could be there. People went through their crap, they needed a place to be, they came there. You should understand that better than anyone. As long as I'm--it stays open, all right?	”
	— Alex Karev to Jo Wilson

Meredith's House is a large house in Seattle on Queen Ann Hill owned by Meredith Grey. Both Meredith's mother (Ellis Grey) and her grandmother lived there. When given to Meredith, she was initially going to sell it, but instead decided to get some roommates. Throughout the show, Meredith has been known for bringing home strays.

History

Ellis Grey

It's unknown if Ellis's mother had the house constructed or bought it, and if she ever moved out. Ellis continued to live at house when she got married to Thatcher Grey, and when they welcomed their daughter Meredith to their family.

Abandonment

Not long after her split with Thatcher, Ellis moved to Boston with Meredith, leaving almost everything behind at the house. It was empty for years as Ellis stayed at the East Coast with Meredith, who also went backpacking through Europe.

Meredith and Her Roommates

Years later, Ellis wound up in Roseridge Home for Extended Care because of her Alzheimer's disease, so Meredith applied for an internship in Seattle. She temporarily moved back into the house and started to pack up her mother's old stuff since she planned to sell the house. After a one night stand and her first days at Seattle Grace Hospital, Meredith decided she'd stay in the house and got Ellis to sign over the estate. Meredith put up a notice for roommates and chose Izzie Stevens and George O'Malley. Callie Torres, being George's girlfriend, also temporarily lived with them after Richard kicked her out of the hospital basement. However, she soon moved out after George told her they were moving too fast.

After reconciling after his father's death, George went to live with Callie in her hotel room. Meredith then decided to let Alex Karev have George's room. Izzie was opposed to it, but Meredith stated Alex was one of their people. After a few months, George came back to live with Izzie as they were romantically involved, and Lexie moved in too. At first, Lexie slept in the living room, until she moved out to live with George in their crapartment. Rebecca Pope also lived with Alex very briefly.

Derek officially moved in a few months later. Not long after, Lexie moved back in when she was angry at George, now occupying the attic. Sadie Harris slept in the living room for a while. After George died and Meredith and Derek got married, Izzie and Alex moved to the trailer to give Meredith and Derek some privacy in their honeymoon period. Lexie moved in with Mark. A few weeks later, Alex moved back in after Izzie left him while at the same time, Lexie moved back in when she ended things with Mark. Izzie briefly returned to the house, hoping to make amends with Alex, but soon left to start a new life, this time permanently packing her stuff.

After the shooting, April and Jackson also moved in. After a year, Zola also came to live in the house when Meredith and Derek were granted temporary custody. After being taken away for a few months, Zola returned to live with them permanently. April and Jackson lived there for over a year, and then got their own place with Alex to split the costs, leaving Lexie as the only roommate to the Grey-Shepherd family. After she died in the plane crash, Meredith and Derek moved into their dream house that was finally ready after more than two years of construction.

Alex Karev

Alex then bought the house from Meredith, looking to have his own place. Cristina rented a room after returning from Minnesota, marking the first time she officially lived in the house. After Jo and Alex got into a relationship, Jo also moved into the house. Arizona also moved in after her split with Callie. Cristina continued to live at the house until she moved to Switzerland.

Meredith and Her Sisters

After Derek's death, Meredith was looking to sell her house and move back in with Alex. However, Jo wanted to get their own place, so she and Alex bought a loft and sold the house back to Meredith. Arizona also got her own house. Meredith moved into the house with Amelia, Maggie, and the kids. Amelia was forced to move out after a fight with Meredith, but Meredith eventually allowed her to move back in. However, a few months later, she moved in with Owen.

When Amelia and Owen had gotten into a big fight, Amelia crashed at the house one night. Figuring Owen would find her there, she went to stay with Stephanie, but since she would rather stay out of her bosses's fight, Amelia moved back to the house.

During her cancer treatment, Diane Pierce also stayed at the house.

Inhabitants

Current Inhabitants

Meredith Grey - Before season one, seasons one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, early nine, twelve to present
Zola Grey Shepherd - Seasons seven, eight, early nine, twelve to present
Derek Bailey Shepherd - Season twelve to present
Ellis Shepherd - Season twelve to present
Maggie Pierce - Season twelve to present
Amelia Shepherd - Season twelve, thirteen to present

Former Inhabitants

Ellis Grey - Before season one
Thatcher Grey - Before season one
George O'Malley - Seasons one, two, and part of three
Izzie Stevens - Seasons one, two, three, four, five and six
Doc - Season two
Callie Torres - part of season three
Rebecca Pope - part of season four
Sadie Harris - part of season five
Lexie Grey - Seasons five, six, seven, and eight
Derek Shepherd - Seasons five, six, seven, eight, and early nine
April Kepner - Season seven and part of season eight
Jackson Avery - Season seven and part of season eight
Cristina Yang - Seasons nine and ten
Alex Karev - Seasons three, four, five, part of six, seven, part of eight, nine, ten and eleven
Jo Karev - Season ten and eleven
Arizona Robbins - Season eleven
Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres - Season eleven (part-time)
Amelia Shepherd - Season twelve
Diane Pierce - Season thirteen (during her cancer treatment)

Visitors

Important Events

Cristina and Owen had their wedding in the house. ("With You I'm Born Again")
Meredith and Derek finally were granted full custody over Zola. ("Suddenly")
Harriet Kepner-Avery was born there. ("Family Affair")

Notes and Trivia

Even before she moved in, Cristina had keys to the house, allowing her to enter it at any time.
This house and the hospital are the only locations that have been featured in every season of the show.
Cristina also spent several nights in the house before she moved in.
The only two characters from the main cast never to have visited Meredith's house are Addison and Erica. Everyone else has visited at least once.
Meredith used to hide her condoms in the cookie jar. More recently, Amelia stated she has a jumbo box of condoms that she's willing to share with her sisters.
There is a swinging bench at the front of the house that could not swing because Thatcher had stuck a nail in a part of it because Meredith used to catch her fingers in it. ("Scars and Souvenirs")
When George and Izzie moved in, they argued over their rooms.
Sadie slept on the couch.
Lexie slept in the attic.
When Derek moved in, he tried to get Alex and Izzie to move out. When Izzie found another apartment, she showed it to Cristina, hoping they could live there together, but Cristina misinterpreted and wound up moving into the apartment with Callie. Alex decided he would sleep in his car.
Callie calls it the Frat house.
Alex Karev bought the house from Meredith early in season nine. He sold it back to her at the end of season eleven.
The fictional address of the house is 613 Harper Lane.
The address of the house used for exterior shots is 303 Comstock St., Seattle, WA.
The house has marks on the ceiling from the Christmas tree from their intern year, marks on the floors from the party Izzie threw, and scratches on both sides of the doorjamb, which are Zola's height marks on one side and Meredith's on the other. ("Second Opinion")