The hit 1990 movie 'Home Alone' has become part of many families' Christmas traditions, and not only did it make a star of Macaulay Culkin, but also the iconic red-brick Georgian-Colonial house that was home to the fictional McCallister family.
The stunning residence is a real home located in Winnetka, Illinois, about 20 miles from Chicago, and at the time, it was owned by the Abendshien family, who relocated to a makeshift apartment on the second floor of their house during filming.
While the exterior of the property was used in the movie, many of the interior shots were filmed on a purpose-built, two-story set inside the gym of an abandoned school, New Trier Township High School, located in the town.
However, the famous, red-carpeted staircase that young Kevin McCallister sledded down before shooting out of the front door, and the living room, were shot inside the real home.
"We needed to cast a house that would work for the stunts and also a house that was visually appealing and, if this makes sense, warm and menacing at the same time," director Chris Columbus said in 2015.
© Airbnb/Sarah Crowley"It's the kind of house if you were a kid, it would be fun to be left home alone," he added.
Inside the real 'Home Alone' house
© Getty ImagesLocated at 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka, Illinois, the 'Home Alone' house boasts 10 bedrooms and six bathrooms across 5,398 square feet of space and just over half an acre of land, according to Zillow.
In May 2011, fans got a proper look inside when the Abendshien family put the house on the market for $2.4 million, a huge increase from the $800,000 Cynthia and John Abendshien paid for the property back in 1998.
At the time, real-estate agent Marissa Hopkins – who worked with the Abendshiens on the sale – posted a YouTube video showing off the interiors in all their glory. Check out the video below...
"It looks different than the fans might expect (i.e. no plaid wallpaper)… but that's Hollywood!" Hopkins told Insider. "The images depicted at the time I sold the house, were how the house looked when it was filmed," she added.
One noticeable difference between the interior of the real house and the 'Home Alone' one is the lack of red and green painted walls and furniture, a design choice that gained popularity following the film's release.
© Collection Christophel / Alamy Stock Photo"There were no saturated green or red upholstered furniture sold in stores. Not one piece," 'Home Alone' set decorator, Eve Cauley told AD.
"A red dining room became the in-style trend of the 1990s. My decor and wall-covering choices for Home Alone changed the color palette of the nation for the upcoming decade," she added.
How much is the house worth?
© Getty ImagesThe $2.4 million asking price proved to be too hefty a price tag for the famous home as four months after it went on the market, the Abendshiens lowered the asking price to $1.995 million.
Again, there were no takers, but the house eventually sold in 2012 for $1.585 million although the current owners are not known. According to Zillow, the luxury mansion is today worth over a whopping $2.3 million!
Visiting the 'Home Alone' house
© The Washington PostFor decades fans of the movie have traveled to Winnetka to see the 'Home Alone' house in person and snap pictures of the exterior, and it is a particularly popular destination around Christmas.
"We would have not believed back then that there would be sightseers coming to look at that house for years afterward," John Abendshien previously told Vanity Fair.
© Airbnb/Sarah CrowleyAs the home is currently occupied and not available for sale or rent, the only way to get inside is if you know the owners. However, back in 2021, Airbnb offered fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stay at the real-life McCallister home.
© Airbnb/Sarah CrowleyThe lucky guests were treated to Chicago's finest pizza, a candlelit dinner of microwavable Kraft Mac & Cheese, and set up booby traps for potential intruders.
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