Ted Bundy's house in Tallahassee

Serial Killer House Tallahassee, Florida

This is where serial killer Ted Bundy lived while he was staying in Florida.

It is located at 409 West College Avenue in Tallahassee.

During the 1970s, it was a rooming house called the Oak. However, these days, it is a parking lot for a fraternity house.

Empty lot — This Google Street View image of the lot was taken in December 2016. It was converted into a parking lot shortly after this photo was taken.

On December 31st, 1977, Bundy escaped from jail in Colorado and fled eastward across the United States.

After spending seven days traveling through Illinois, Michigan, and Georgia, he eventually settled in Tallahassee, Florida.

He chose Florida as his new home because of how far away it was from the Pacific Northwest. Due to the distance involved, he reasoned that there was a much lower chance of someone recognizing him.

This turned out to be true, as most people in the Sunshine State had never heard of his name.

The Oak in Tallahassee — This is an old photograph of the Oak. It was named after a giant oak tree that still exists today. During his short stay here, Bundy reportedly went on a date with a woman who lived across the hall from him. The building was converted into a fraternity house in the late 1970s or early 1980s. However, a fire in the late 1980s left it damaged beyond repair. Following the fire, the property remained vacant and boarded up for several years. Locals said that it was torn down because it was an eyesore and a hot spot for antisocial behavior. After the house was demolished, 409 West College Avenue became an empty, fenced-off lot. Then, at some point after 2016, it was converted into a parking lot for the adjoining Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house.

Bundy started living at the Oak rooming house on January 7th, 1978. He signed the lease for Room 12 on the second floor using the alias Chris Hagen.

By the time he arrived in Florida, two and a half years had passed since he abducted his last known victim, Susan Curtis.

Ted Bundy room — A colorized photograph of the room that Bundy lived in while he was staying in Tallahassee.

Despite the passage of time, it did not take long for his urges to resurface. Within a week of moving into the Oak, he was already trolling around the Florida State University campus in search of his next victim.

In the early hours of January 15th, Bundy entered the Chi Omega sorority house on West Jefferson Street and attacked four sleeping women in the space of 15 minutes. Then, after leaving the sorority house, he attacked another woman named Cheryl Thomas, who was living just a few blocks away.

Two of the victims died. The other two women suffered serious injuries.

Ted Bundy sorority house — The aerial image above illustrates how close the Oak was to the Chi Omega sorority house. The route is only 0.5 miles long.

On February 8th, 1978, he abducted 12-year-old Kimberly Dianne Leach from her school in Lake City. Her remains were discovered roughly fifty days later, near Suwannee River State Park.

This Google Street View image of 409 West College Avenue was taken in December 2020. The large oak tree is visible on the right.

Bundy continued living at this address until February 12th. By that point, he was falling behind on his rent and starting to feel paranoid that the police were narrowing in on him.

Believing it was time to hit the road, he stole a Volkswagen Bug and drove westward towards Alabama.

Fortunately, he never made it that far. Nor did he get the chance to harm another victim.

Three days later, Bundy's luck finally ran out after he was arrested during a traffic stop in Pensacola.

Address

The address and GPS coordinates for the apartment are as follows:

Address

409 West College Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida, FL 32301, USA

GPS Coordinates

30.440603, -84.286199

30°26'26.17"N 84°17'10.32"W

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Area Information

📍 The house was situated in Tallahassee's Downtown College Park district. The lot sits beside the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house, which is close to the corner of West College Avenue and South Boulevard Street. It is a short walk from the Museum of Florida History and the Old City Cemetery.

This location belongs to the following categories:

Serial Killers Ted Bundy Florida Locations Ted Bundy Locations