Spencer Mansion

Spencer Mansion
Official Capcom render of the exterior of the Resident Evil 5 version of Spencer Mansion
First appearance	Resident Evil (1996)
Last appearance	Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
Created by	Capcom
Genre	Survival horror
In-universe information
Other name(s)	Arklay Research Facility
Type	Mansion
Location	Arklay Mountains

Spencer Mansion is a fictional mansion featured in the Resident Evil franchise, and the primary setting of the 1996 survival horror video game Resident Evil and its 2002 remake. Constructed by Oswell E. Spencer, the owner and co-founder of the Umbrella Corporation, within the Arklay Mountains, it was designed by architect George Trevor. Its construction was meant as a cover for a secret bioweapon laboratory known as the Arklay Research Facility. It is later encountered by the STARS Alpha team, including Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Barry Burton, and Albert Wesker. Despite realizing Wesker is an Umbrella agent, they are able to defeat the Tyrant he sends after them, detonating and destroying the facility and mansion for good.^[1] A similar mansion is later raided by Chris and Jill in the events preceding Resident Evil 5, where they confront Wesker after he kills Spencer.

Spencer Mansion was praised by critics as an iconic video game location, its design responsible for popularizing the survival horror genre in general. Its unusual puzzle-based design, which was designed more as a security system than a residence, became a mainstay of the series going forward, and it is known as one of the most famous examples of "evil" architecture in video games.