The Home Alone house still draws tourists to Winnetka, Illinois

Table Of Content

• The Real-Life Home Alone House: Then and Now
• The home where Kevin McCallister made his family disappear remains a tourist attraction in the Chicago suburbs
• Where is the McCallister house in Home Alone?
• Home Alone House: Inside The Iconic Kevin McCallister House 30 Years Later!
• How Much Damage Did Kevin McCallister Do to His House?
• McCallister house
• Property types in Los Angeles, CA

Abendshien expressed her surprise at the enduring legacy of her family’s home, mirroring the unexpected popularity of the Friends two-bedroom apartment, transformed into a rental space in collaboration with Booking.com in 2021. The New York City flagship offered fans “The Ultimate Sleepover at The Friends Experience” for a symbolic $19.94, paying homage to the sitcom’s debut year. For the tourists who come from all over the world to see the house, the visit is a chance to reenact the movie and make memories of their own. Aline Tomaz, 10, came with her family from Minneapolis after her father, Alexandre Tomaz, showed them the movie.

The Real-Life Home Alone House: Then and Now

Her mother, Andressa Tomaz, herded them in front of the fence for a family Christmas card photo as if the house was Macy’s Santaland. According to Bayna, most visitors start streaming in by late morning or early afternoon, though several will come late at night and yell “Kevin! ” She has watched hundreds of people slap their cheeks in a mock scream to mimic Culkin’s famous pose in the movie poster. Others do dance routines, and there’s been at least one saxophone player.

The home where Kevin McCallister made his family disappear remains a tourist attraction in the Chicago suburbs

Home Sweet Home Alone, the 2021 reboot of the classic holiday movie, was mostly filmed in Canada. Max Mercer’s house is in Longueuil, Quebec, a popular suburb of Montreal located about 15 minutes away from downtown Montreal. The set team ultimately decided to build the entire interior of the home in the gymnasium of New Trier High School, also in Winnetka. At that time, there were few film studios in Chicago, and John Hughes lived north of the city.

Where is the McCallister house in Home Alone?

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Too bad, since the Abendshiens lived there for 20 years and we’re pretty sure their daughter would have loved to keep it for herself. If you’re wondering where to find it in real life, the real Home Alone house’s address is 671 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL (though we’re pretty sure the owners would rather not have fans lingering outside, so please respect their privacy). The story of eight-year-old Kevin McCallister — who, accidentally left behind by his family during the holidays, is forced to defend his home from two dimwit burglars — is arguably the best Christmas movie of all time. The Winnetka house that Chris Columbus hand-selected as the McCallister house was perfect in every sense of the word, except for one small hiccup—the interior wasn’t big enough. “Film sets must be large enough to have room for the camera, as well as the actors, in addition to the furniture,” explains Cauley, the movie’s set decorator. And with the revival of ’90s nostalgia and the trends that come with it, there’s no better time to do a deep dive into the Chicago-area home where it all began.

Some curious tourists went as far as knocking on the front door, or even venturing into the backyard in hopes of catching a glimpse of the tree house. It then sold in 2012 for a reported $1.585 million, closing the chapter on the Abendshiens’ 25-year residency. He noted that in Hughes’ teen films — including “The Breakfast Club,” and “Pretty in Pink” — class tensions are also often prominent and drive the story forward. Shoplifting was “significantly more common” among people with family incomes over $70,000, according to a 2008 article published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Head over to The New York Times’ website to read its full breakdown of the McCallister family’s income. As for Peter, Kevin’s dad, it’s been assumed that he likely worked in the business industry.

The scenes of the foyer’s grand staircase and the living room were the real-life Home Alone house. There were, however, some tiny changes made to facilitate some scenes in the film. Oh, and the back door down the set of stairs outside – that actually wasn’t real. A backhoe was brought in to dig up that part of the property so that a fake door and steps could be added in.

We watch it multiple times throughout the holiday season,” Silvers tells AD. When the film was made, navy blue and dusty pink were popular interior design colors, Cauley said. But she was inspired by Norman Rockwell paintings and antique Christmas cards to use saturated reds, greens and golds in the family home. Eagle-eyed Friends fans intimated that it appeared Monica and Chandler moved into the famous address, matching up the views through the front windows to those seen in the holiday classic. The cast would "spend time in the house when they weren't filming their scenes. Macaulay Culkin used my room to study with his tutor and his brother [Kieran], wasn't filming as much, so he would just hang out in my room," she added.

McCallister house

It’s Chris Columbus, the director of the film, whom we can hold responsible for finding the iconic Chicago suburb house. “We basically drove around for several weeks until we found the right house,” Columbus said in a 2015 interview. “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,” Columbus explained.

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The home is located at 671 Lincoln Ave in Winnetka, Illinois and was used primarily for exterior shots. Because the production found it too small for equipment, only a few interior scenes were filmed there. The kitchen, along with the main staircase, basement, attic and most of the first floor landing were filmed on location in the real house, thus making them the home's only interiors to be featured in the film. Most of the house's interiors were recreated or duplicated on a soundstage built in the gymnasium of former campus of New Trier Township High School. An example of this is the enlarged version of the staircase and main foyer of the real house.

It is unknown whether the interiors – which bear no resemblance to the original house – were shot at this home, a different residence, or on a set. In fact, the house is one of the few properties that are blurred on Google Maps, an initiative that was likely taken by the owners to discourage fans from showing up uninvited. Silvers wasn’t the only one who had the smart idea to visit the house ahead of the holiday season. “There were quite a few cars parked on the opposite side of the street so as not to interfere with picture taking. Everyone was smiling ear to ear, taking pictures, pointing to the different windows.” She eavesdropped on fellow fans asking, “Was this the window Marv went through and stepped on the broken ornaments? ” and, “That’s the doorknob that burned the M into Harry’s hand, and the front door that Kevin McCallister slid through on his sled.” The movie magic is (and will always be) in the air on Lincoln Avenue.

Even more intriguing, it caught the attention of Daren Janes, a user who claimed to be the art director on Friends. He shared the behind-the-scenes scoop, revealing that the house was a set, and the exterior was provided by Pacific Studios, initially designed for Home Alone due to its ideal appearance through the door and windows. Fans lauded Westwood’s keen observation, as Janes’ comment earned over 103,000 likes and nearly 400 comments.