The Iconic “Home Alone” Suburban House is on Sale
The iconic northern suburban home that served as the backdrop for the hit 1990 Christmas movie “Home Alone” is for sale.
The “McAllister House,” located at 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka, last came on the market in 2012, selling for $1.585 million, below the asking price of $2.4 million. Those who bought it at that time are now asking for $5.25 million.
According to Vanity Fair, the red brick Georgian home dates back to 1920. It gained notoriety beyond the North Shore in 1974 (16 years before it became a “Home Alone” house), when its newly renovated kitchen was featured in the September issue. “Better Homes and Gardens,”.
The outlet reported that then-owners Kully and Carolyn Rohlen had renovated the kitchen so they could host regular soup parties and grow tomatoes at home on a centre island.
The Rohlens no longer owned the house when it became the “Home Alone” house. John and Cynthia Abendshien moved into the house in 1988 and were living there when “Home Alone” was filmed.
“Home Alone” was released shortly after Thanksgiving 1990.
According to the site’s report, most of the interior scenes were filmed on a sound stage set up in the gymnasium of New Trier West High School in Northfield, but scenes focused on the main staircase and several interior rooms were actually filmed indoors as reported by Moviefone website in 2012.
The decoration of the house seen in the film was not chosen by the then-owners. The filmmakers pasted wallpaper on the walls to give it a Christmas-like feel, reports Moviefone.
Abendshiens recalled the experience they had during the Home Alone Filming
Abendshiens also talked about their experience filming the 2011 Coldwell Banker sales video.
“For example, we’ve learned that if the snow isn’t bouncing off your shoulders or your head, it’s the potato chips that are blowing off your hair,” Cynthia Abendshiens said in the video.
Vanity Fair reported that the Abendshiens took refuge in the master bedroom on the second floor of the house while filming took place elsewhere.
Their daughter Lauren spoke to the magazine about picking up cups of coffee filled with deliciousness from a traditional food cart for the shoot and meeting the stars. As Vanity Fair reports, the family also filmed scenes directly at their home, in which Macaulay Culkin’s character Kevin walks down the home’s stairs and out the front door. The magazine noted that it was actually a ramp over the railing and a double in Culkin’s place. Also read – Justin Bieber Shares cute pic of Hailey Bieber’s Baby Bump
Abendshiens who sold the house to the current owners in 2012, who now sell it themselves.
In 2021, Airbnb also offered the home for a one-night rental in December.
John Hughes the Producer and writer of “Home Alone” interested in filming in a community setting
Writer and producer John Hughes – who died in 2009 at the age of 59, was born in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up in suburban Detroit – but moved with his family to Northbrook when he was 12 Went. He was famous for filming in Chicago. The area and particularly the North Shore suburbs.
In addition to the house in “Home Alone”, Samantha’s house in “Sixteen Candles” is located at 3022 Payne St. in Evanston, Ferris Bueller’s high school is actually Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, and in “The Breakfast Club” “There There was actually Main North High School in Des Plaines, which had already been closed by the time that movie was filmed and is now used as the Illinois State Police district headquarters and offices for other state agencies.
John Hughes had a real interest in filming in community settings.