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Eve Cauley, the set decorator for “Home Alone,” was responsible for decor such as the furniture and wallpaper inside of the McCallister home, which was filmed on built sets in a local high school. He noted that in Hughes’s teen films — including “The Breakfast Club,” and “Pretty in Pink” — class tensions are also often prominent and drive the story forward. The battle in “Home Alone” between 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) and two burglars known as the Wet Bandits has unfolded on screens around the world every Christmas since the film premiered in 1990. Other John Hughes movies filmed in the Chicago area include "The Breakfast Club," "She's Having a Baby," "Uncle Buck" and "Weird Science."
Building the Set From Scratch
The basketball court was where the airplane cabin set was built, and the basement was actually constructed in the pool to accomodate a large number of water scenes. Culkin also brought back the scene where Kevin eats mac 'n cheese at the dining table and, later, another setting where he tricks the bad guys into thinking there are more people in the house than just him. As another commemoration of the iconic movie, Culkin himself paid homage to the film that was his big break in a Google commercial. He was able to write eight pages worth of notes from this thought, which led to conceptualizing the beginning of the movie's story. Columbus, who fell in love with the script, then came aboard as director and got to pick his first choice of actors for each role.
Coming home, staying home: ‘Apollo 13' and ‘Home Alone' among 25 films picked for national registry
Remarkably, the video gained incredible traction, amassing a whopping 14.4 million views and counting. 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. If fans of the movie did not get a chance to relive their favorite memories from the film by booking an overnight stay in the real-life McCallister home, they could buy a miniature Lego version of the house.
The Home Alone House: The Iconic Film Set that Was Home to the McCallister Family
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.
Everything You’ve Ever Wondered About the Home Alone House

On Christmas Day, Kevin is initially disappointed to find that his family is still gone, but Kate arrives home, and they reconcile. The rest of the family then returns after waiting in Paris for a direct flight to Chicago. Kevin keeps silent about his encounter with Harry and Marv, although Peter finds Harry's knocked-out gold tooth. Kevin then happily watches Marley reuniting with his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. 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. In 1990, the house was affordable only for the top 1 percent of Chicago household incomes, and that would still be the case today, according to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
The 'Home Alone' House Appeared in 'Friends,' Fan Says - PEOPLE
The 'Home Alone' House Appeared in 'Friends,' Fan Says.
Posted: Thu, 28 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
However, the Abendshiens sold the property to an undisclosed buyer in 2012 for 1,585,000. The McCallister house is famously located at 671 Lincoln Ave in Winnetka — a small village in Cook County, Illinois, set roughly 16 miles north of downtown Chicago. The Chicago suburb is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. And while only four lucky fans got to enjoy the memorable stay, the house’s brief stint on Airbnb gave us a peek inside — and a good idea of how the iconic property has changed over the years. The McCallister house became a character in its own right, with its picture-perfect exterior and festive décor now being synonymous with holiday cheer.
However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. In May, more than four months after arriving at the doorstep of 671 Lincoln Avenue, the crew finally packed up their festive wallpaper and klieg lights. You'll have to stay in the house on December 12, so it'll be a mad rush to book the house when it becomes available on December 7 at 1 pm CT. Click that "book" button with the urgency of Kevin running from the monster in the basement.
The Sticky Bandits will thankfully stay away...we hope.
Quite the improvement overall…unless you’re a diehard lover of 90s interior design. Home Alone was produced and written by the venerable film legend, John Hughes. My decor and wall-covering choices for Home Alone changed the color palette of the nation for the upcoming decade,” Cauley tells AD. According to an article by House Beautiful, the most popular paint colors ahead of the film were subtle mauve, denim blue, light turquoise, and barely-there pink. And after the film’s release, in 1991, Benjamin Moore’s most popular color was Arroyo Red, a deep reddish-brown color.
Despite debuting in November 1990, interest in the Home Alone house remains enduring. 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. 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.
Another location was the local store on the corner where Kevin steals a toothbrush, which has since been turned into an ice cream shop. There are even family photos on display and the well-known swinging paint cans Kevin used to whack and disorient the villains. His elaborate battle plan also sits on the dining room table, giving a nod to the memorable scene where Kevin contemplates his ideas over a plate of delicious-looking mac 'n cheese.
“We would have not believed back then that there would be sightseers coming to look at that house for years afterward,” John Abendshien told me in an interview. 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. Kevin calls the police and lures the duo into a vacant neighboring house that they had previously broken into. Harry and Marv ambush Kevin and prepare to get their revenge, but Marley intervenes and knocks them out with his snow shovel.
At the time Home Alone was filmed, the Home Alone house was owned by the Abendshein family. The location manager initially approached them for their Winnetka home for another Hughes film, Uncle Buck. According to "Home Alone" director Chris Columbus, it was no surprise that the house became such an iconic image. In an interview with Parade, he explained that John Hughes, who wrote "Home Alone" (and many other movies set in the Chicagoland area), called the house "perfect" upon seeing a photo. It's a local tourist attraction, complete with a listing on Atlas Obscura, a website dedicated to unusual travel destinations.
The school where Bueller attended and faked being sick to spend a day exploring downtown Chicago was Glenbrook North High School. "We live in the area and it’s always fun to drive or walk by and reminisce," one of more than 30 reviews of the house on TripAdvisor read. "Just be courteous as it is someone’s residence and the neighborhood wants to have some semblance of normalcy." Five years after the commercial was made, Culkin received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He, his beloved fiancée Brenda Song, their sons, his family, and friends were all in attendance to celebrate the momentous milestone. She spoke about how Culkin would use her bedroom as a space for him to learn his schoolwork with his tutor.
Financial experts revealed that in 1990, affording the McCallister family home would have been feasible only for the top 1% of Chicago households, with an income around $305,000 (equivalent to $665,000 in 2022). “To me, with respect, fans who argue about the parents’ income, or house cost, should, instead, simply enjoy the movie,” she said. He said that a common mark of a Hughes film is dramatic tension fueled by conflict between young people and adults, which almost always resolves in favor of the younger person. A third brother, Uncle Frank (the mean one), lives in Ohio and travels with the family from Illinois to Paris. At his brother’s house in Illinois, he avoids paying the $122.50 pizza bill.
The police arrive and arrest Harry and Marv, having identified all the houses that they broke into due to their habit of flooding them. Hughes conceived Home Alone while on vacation, with Warner Bros. being originally intended to finance and distribute the film. However, Warner Bros. shut down the production after it exceeded its assigned budget. 20th Century Fox assumed responsibilities following secret meetings with Hughes.
Monica and Chandler from 'Friends' moved to the 'Home Alone' house — and this guy can prove it - New York Post
Monica and Chandler from 'Friends' moved to the 'Home Alone' house — and this guy can prove it.
Posted: Thu, 28 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
He goes to church and watches a choir perform, eventually re-encountering Marley, who proves the rumors about him are false. Marley points out his granddaughter in the choir and mentions he has never met her since she is the daughter of his estranged son. Kevin wakes to find the house empty and the family cars still in the garage, unaware that they had rented vans to take them to the airport.
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