Remember that smash hit comedy back in 1990 where this precocious kid gets left behind all by himself in a house around Christmas and he decides to take on a couple of bumbling idiots who are planning on robbing his house? Home Alone it was and it went on to become one of the biggest super-duper hits of its time spawning several sequels in its wake. Although young Macaulay Culkin was the lead in this film, there is some argument if the beautiful house in which the movie had been filmed shouldn’t be given its own set of credits and laurels.
What this red-brick Georgian home has received by way of cinematic credit is not really known to us but the current owners are intent on riding high on the popularity of the movie, even as they haul this property on the market for an asking price of $2.4 Million. With their daughter all grown up and having “flown the nest”, as the expression goes, the current owners of this home – John and Cynthia Abendshien – are ready to downsize.
Located in the posh neighborhood of Winnetka, just 30 miles north of Chicago, the Abendshiens bought this property in 1988 for a mere $875,000. Measuring 4,250 square feet and located on a half-acre lot, the house has 14 rooms that include 4 bedrooms, 3.2 bathrooms (what in the wide world is 3.2 bathrooms?), a wood-burning fireplace, a gourmet kitchen, a screened-in porch with a chandelier, a sunroom, and a detached garage.
Capitalizing on the fact that not too many houses can boast of being so integral to a movie, to the extent that it almost becomes something of a lead character, the Home Alone House (as it has been called all along) will have a listing website of its own on the website of Coldwell Banker – the agents handling the sale of the house.
Thinking of using the sale of the house as an excuse to get a free tour? Forget it! Only pre-screened clients are allowed to set foot inside the house. For others, there is a video tour on the above mentioned website and that’s about as close as you’ll ever come to seeing what Macaulay Culkin’s guerilla warfare HQ looks like in real life.
There goes your dream of getting a peek at this iconic house! On second thoughts, if you are that crazy about this movie and have $2.4 Million stashed away somewhere, you could consider buying it. Not only do you get to bask in second hand glory of such a popular house, you could also spend the rest of your life sliding down those awesome stairs right out of the front door…Wheeee!