The iconic ‘Home Alone’ house will be restored to the way it looked on screen

Some places are picture perfect — or motion picture perfect. And, it seems, they ought to stay that way.

The iconic Chicagoland home featured in the still-buzzy 1990 “Home Alone” movie will undergo a massive renovation — one that will bring it back to how it looked on screen, according to NBC Chicago.

“Our vision is to bring back the warmth and just the love from the movie,” project manager Scott Price told the outlet. The renovation is being bankrolled by the dwelling’s current — and unnamed — owner, who purchased the property for $5.5 million in January of this year. “There [were] so many great colors and it just made you feel like family and like home and we want to bring that magic back,” he added.

However, specific details of the renovation timeline are unclear.

The home stands in Winnetka, an affluent suburb of the Windy City, and remains one of the most famous homes in film history. So much so that older marketing images of its interior — showing no trace of the fictional McCallister family’s over-the-top designs — sparked outrage from fans of the flick.

“A moment of silence for what once was a house, and is now a sterile doctors office,” said one critic. Another said, “I would have paid 10x more for that house if it was kept original. Just like a classic car it’s worth more. Now this house looks like every other house.”

And the house is still so famous that it attracts fans who remain faithful to the movie. One of them, Natalie Cole, visited from Ohio, telling the outlet, “I saw on the website it was really kind of a gray house and lost its spirit and magic.” She added, “I’m so thrilled the new owners have decided to do that.”

In terms of recent history, this wouldn’t be the first time the property paid homage to its silver screen aesthetic. In 2021, during a holiday season promotion, Airbnb outfitted it in a true-to-the-film fashion for a renter to spend the night.

But that was during previous ownership. In mid-2024, the 9,126-square-foot spread listed for sale asking $5.25 million. It found a buyer — the present owners — in a week. The film’s main star, Macaulay Culkin, considered buying it “just for giggles,” he said in 2024 at a screening of the movie.

Ultimately, it officially traded hands early this year for that $5.5 million sum — $250,000 above its list price — after a seven-month contract. The reason for the wait? The sellers wanted one final Christmas inside.

And now, it will always be Christmas there thanks to the impending work.

“We love this movie; it was a really important movie in our childhood and that’s true for the family that owns the house too,” Price said.