The Real-Life Home Alone House: Then and Now

Table Of Content

• “The Power of the Dog” ranch was purposefully built for the movie
• More homes from movies
• Decades later, ‘Home Alone’ fans are still casing the iconic house
• The home, located in the Chicago suburbs, is still a popular tourist destination.
• How much was the Home Alone house worth in 1990?
• Real-life Stranger Things houses & how much they’re worth

“Filming in an empty high school meant we were in close proximity to his family,” explains Cauley. “He could visit the sets easily or stop in and see filming, and then go home and write.” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Uncle Buck were also filmed in Chicago. But the fun and games soon come to an end when Kevin is faced by the wet bandits—two bumbling burglars who have their sights set on robbing the McCallister home. Villains Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) soon realize the house isn’t vacant like they first thought, and an endless game of cat and mouse ensues, with Kevin setting intricate booby traps to protect himself and his family home.

“The Power of the Dog” ranch was purposefully built for the movie

The silver tuna, or its exterior anyway, is a real-world house at 671 Lincoln Avenue in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the United States, according to Realtor.com. “When we were little we all dreamed of these really pretty suburban American houses, and I think a lot of that came from films like this one,” said visitor Marie Schulte-Bockum, who grew up in Europe. Even the parts that were supposed to be set in the Paris Orly Airport were actually filmed at O’Hare International Airport. The interior of the plane was a set built on a basketball court at the local high school. In fact, the scene where Kevin McCallister is trekking through the flooded basement is actually the school’s swimming pool. The kitchen, along with the main staircase, basement, attic, and most of the first-floor landing, were filmed on location in the actual house.

More homes from movies

The tree house in the backyard was specifically built for the first film and dismantled after filming ended. A real family lives there today, and there’s a small fence that keeps out brazen fans. The circular driveway is gone now — a landscaping detail nearly every visitor is quick to point out — depriving fans a look at the place where Kevin was left out of a family head count before the airport.

Decades later, ‘Home Alone’ fans are still casing the iconic house

“Home Alone” never reveals what Kevin’s parents do for a living, although it’s long been assumed that mother Kate worked as a fashion designer given the home has mannequins in it. The iconic “Home Alone” house is a fully functional residence to this day. Situated at 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka, Illinois, the neighborhood is known for being one of the priciest in the country, as stated by the New York Times. Zillow lists the property as having 10 bedrooms, six bathrooms, and covering an impressive 5,398 square feet.

The home, located in the Chicago suburbs, is still a popular tourist destination.

While it’s never clearly stated what Kevin’s parents do for a living in the film, there was a plethora of mannequins laying around the house – cleverly used by Kevin to thwart off Harry and Marv. With that information, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that Kevin’s mom, Kate, worked in fashion. Remarkably, the video gained incredible traction, amassing a whopping 14.4 million views and counting.

Can You Visit the House From Home Alone Today?

Despite its fictional provenance, many of the tourists who peer over the short, wrought-iron gate earnestly gush about the house’s historical significance. The Chicago-area home located about 30 minutes north of the city has become a staple for tourists, especially around the holidays. Tax records show that the Winnetka, IL house is indeed owner-occupied, but we haven’t managed to find any information about the residents of the iconic movie house. Even without making an appearance in a massively successful movie, a suburban five-bedroom home in the Chicago metro area doesn’t come cheap. Think booby traps, a candlelit dinner of microwavable macaroni and cheese, Kevin’s dad’s aftershave, 90s junk food, “Chicago’s finest pizza” and more, NBC Chicago reports. To offer the complete experience, the actor who played Kevin McCallister’s older brother, Buzz, would be the one welcoming guests, who would also be greeted with Christmas decorations, and some true Home Alone classics.

Locations in the house

While the home was used for outside shots, the interior scenes were filmed on a set in a gym at an abandoned high school. And around Christmas time every year, various posts circulate the internet discussing the movie, asking questions about the McCallister family's wealth, and oftentimes, the real-world house. While a large portion of the movie was filmed on a soundstage, shots of the home’s interior can still be found in the film.

How Did The McCallisters Afford That Palatial House In 'Home Alone'? - Mentalfloss

How Did The McCallisters Afford That Palatial House In 'Home Alone'?.

Posted: Sat, 09 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

How much was the Home Alone house worth in 1990?

How rich was the family in ‘Home Alone:’ NYT talks to experts - WGN TV Chicago

How rich was the family in ‘Home Alone:’ NYT talks to experts.

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She also laid out holiday wrapping paper in the primary bedroom, as if Kevin’s parents, Kate and Peter McCallister, were wrapping Christmas gifts but didn’t have time to clean it up. It’s these little details that all come together to create the thoughtful, curated set fit for this celebrated holiday movie. 671 Lincoln Avenue instantly became a destination for fans of the movie, with hoards of tourists flocking to the home hoping for a little taste of movie magic. But it wasn’t the McCallisters that had to put up with the newfound attention—it was the Abendshien family, who owned the home. “We would have not believed back then that there would be sightseers coming to look at that house for years afterward,” John Abendshien said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “It’s the kind of house, if you were a kid, it would be fun to be left home alone.” Columbus then took photos of home’s exterior, sent them to Hughes for approval, and the rest is history.

Real-life Stranger Things houses & how much they’re worth

Her neighbors inside the famous house didn’t like people peering into their windows, she said, which is why they built a fence. A couple named John and Cynthia Abendshien owned the home when filming began in 1990, but they sold in 2011 for a reported $1.585 million. The stately, symmetrical house is one of the most iconic movie residences in American pop culture.

To pass down the legacy to the new generation, Disney released a remake of the holiday classic, Home Sweet Home Alone starring Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, and Archie Yates, which you can now stream on Disney+. Cauley had about six weeks to bring the McCallister family home to life. “I love selecting and finding decor that builds a character, or when collaged together, supports a story visually,” she says. The only way to describe the interior of the Home Alone house is to compare it to a Norman Rockwell painting, which is precisely the aesthetic Cauley was going for. “I thought about what look would best represent Americana, and of course, Norman Rockwell came to mind,” Cauley says.

Last sold in 2012 for $1.585 million, the Home Alone house is now worth north of $2 million — with real estate websites like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin estimating its worth at around $2,300,000. Briefly listed on Airbnb in early December, the suburban Chicago home of the McCallisters offered a one-night stay to die-hard fans, accommodating up to 4 people for a mere $25/night (plus taxes). For the first time in over 30 years, the Home Alone house opened up to the public in 2021. For a very limited time, people could book a short stay at the iconic holiday house. The remaining scenes filmed in the McCallister house were recreated or duplicated on a soundstage built in the gymnasium of the former campus of New Trier Township High School. The iconic suburban home also has a large kitchen, a detached double garage, and a greenhouse.

This moment from the film became a meme before most people even had access to the internet.

These days, a quick search in Google Maps will lead you straight to the house, making a trip to 671 Lincoln Ave accessible and easy. Dawn Silvers, an Illinois resident and lover of the movie, visited the Home Alone house this Thanksgiving. Silvers and her youngest child originally made the drive to Chicago for a concert, and then decided to tack on a visit to Winnetka.

Like Rockwell, Cauley used saturated greens, reds, and golds to stand out against the white fluffy snow. “I thought of it like a flip-book, where use of color orchestrated throughout would give the film a warm feeling,” says Cauley. In the film, Kevin sets elaborate traps in order to catch the burglars attempting to break into his home. Following the release of Home Sweet Home Alone in 2021 (the sixth sequel to the original), Airbnb reopened the doors to the home. While the Airbnb experience is no longer on the table, you can stream the original Home Alone, Home Alone 2, and the rest of the sequels on Disney+. According to an article written in 2015 for the Chicago Sun-Times, writer Richard Roeper stopped by the house in the winter of 1991 and reported that 400 vehicles had lined up outside 671 Lincoln Ave on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.