Just how rich were the McCallisters in Home Alone?

Table Of Content

• Is This a Real Photo of the House in 'Home Alone' After 30-Plus Years?
• Home Alone McCallister House: Unraveling the Surprising Connection to Friends’ Mondler
• The home, located in the Chicago suburbs, is still a popular tourist destination.
• How the Film Came to Be
• Real-life Stranger Things houses & how much they’re worth
• The Real-Life Home Alone House: Then and Now
• Decades later, ‘Home Alone’ fans are still casing the iconic house

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.

Is This a Real Photo of the House in 'Home Alone' After 30-Plus Years?

The Famous House From 'Home Alone' Is Absolutely Charming! See Inside [Pictures] - Taste of Country

The Famous House From 'Home Alone' Is Absolutely Charming! See Inside [Pictures].

Posted: Sat, 16 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

As a regional attraction, the McCallister house is a unique treasure that stirs regional pride for Chicagoans. Like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” which spotlighted Chicago’s Wrigley Field, Lake Shore Drive and the Mercantile Exchange trading pits, “Home Alone” is deeply rooted in its sense of place. The film’s cops, cashiers and Santas deliver their dialogue with Midwestern accents.

Home Alone McCallister House: Unraveling the Surprising Connection to Friends’ Mondler

Recently, The New York Times delved into the real cost for the McAllister family to live in the grand home today. This iconic property in Winnetka, Ill. even had a unique stint as an Airbnb, equipped with booby traps akin to those used by Kevin in the holiday classic. The Winnetka, Ill., house is a private property, but admirers can still drive past it for a moment of holiday nostalgia. It's allure has lingered for more than three decades, inspiring a one-of-a-kind Airbnb stay complete with booby traps, several remarkable replica gingerbread houses, and a video game adaptation, among many other tributes.

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.

How the Film Came to Be

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.

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.

Whether you’re looking to plan your visit to the real-life dwelling (the Home Alone house address is 671 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL) or find inspiration for your decor this holiday season, read on. The silver tuna, or its exterior anyway, is a real-world, house at 671 Lincoln Ave. in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the United States, according to Realtor.com. It appears to have enough space for Kevin and his four siblings to each have their own rooms, but also can accommodate an army of visitors. As it turns out, Kevin’s Christmas operation caused roughly $11,800 worth of damage to the family home, according to calculations made by Swift Direct Blinds. For the drywall climbing spell, possibly, according to Independent Agent Magazine.

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.

Here's How Rich Kevin McCallister's Family in 'Home Alone' Really Is - Yahoo Finance UK

Here's How Rich Kevin McCallister's Family in 'Home Alone' Really Is.

Posted: Mon, 25 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

“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.

Home Alone was produced and written by the venerable film legend, John Hughes. The movie was inspired by a real trip the director went on with his family. A third brother, Uncle Frank (the mean one), lives in Ohio and travels with the family from Illinois to Paris.

“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.

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.

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

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.