House from 'Home Alone' for sale in Winnetka

May 5, 2011 (WINNETKA, Ill.)

The red-brick, colonial Georgian is in Winnetka and sits on a half-acre lot. It's the place where Kevin was "misplaced" by his family and outsmarted thieves hoping to rob the house.

The late writer-director John Hughes shot a lot of his films on the North Shore where he always kept a home. He chose the Winnetka house because he felt it represented family life and a warm setting where memories could be made.

Coldwell Banker has details about the property on its website.

The owners, John and Cynthia Abendshien, lived there while the movie was being filmed, a Coldwell Banker news release said.

"This property has been home to our family for more than 20 years, and has been a perfect location for us to raise our daughter," John Abendshien said in the release.

"Built in the 1920's, this classic, family-oriented home offers ample room to grow. The residence has four en suite bedrooms, including the 'attic bedroom' - a dormered and finished retreat with numerous nooks and crannies - and two grand suites," the release said. "Privacy and comfort are the raison d'etre for the four-room master suite, which spans the entire west wing of the home. This suite's many features include a large sunroom, spacious master bath, and an elegant sitting room with built-in bookcases and a wood-burning fireplace with a carved marble fireplace mantle."

The Abendshiens said no not once but twice to the movie makers from Hollywood. The third time was the charm.

"I opened the door and this man pushed her aside and said 'are you ready yet?' And that was Christopher Columbus, the director," said Cynthia Abendshien.

While McCauley Culkin and the cast wreaked havoc on their home, the filmmakers offered the Abendshiens the use of a condo. But they worried about leaving what was then their newly remodeled house in the hands of strangers. And besides, filming was only supposed to take a few weeks.

"They were here a total five and a half months," said Cynthia Abendshien. "I got to know more about movie making than I wanted to know."

Unlike many films that feature the exteriors of buildings but use sound stages for the interiors, some scenes were actually shot inside the home, adding to the cache of the house but the realtor insists not the multi-million price tag.

"Certainly there's some cinematic history that goes with this house, but the way in which this house was priced was really based on the more traditional factors," said Marissa Hopkins, Coldwell Banker realtor.

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