The Famous 'Home Alone' House Through the Years – Then and Now

It was the dream house of a generation — and now, it's almost unrecognizable. Scroll down to see for yourself.

The iconic Illinois home that served as the unforgettable backdrop to the 1990 Christmas classic "Home Alone" sold earlier this year — but not before sparking widespread fury among fans. The culprit? A modern renovation that some say has stripped the house of its beloved charm and left it looking like a "beautiful hospital."

Listed in May 2024 for a cool $5.25 million, the home flew off the market in under a week. And after months of buzz, it closed for even more than expected — selling for $5.5 million in early 2025.

But for many loyal fans of the cult classic, that hefty price tag came at a heartbreaking cost.

The red-brick Georgian-style home, nestled in Winnetka, Illinois, holds a permanent place in pop culture history thanks to Kevin McCallister — the spunky eight-year-old played by Macaulay Culkin who fended off bumbling burglars after his family accidentally left him behind during Christmas vacation.

But while the exterior remains mostly intact, the interior has undergone a dramatic transformation, ditching its cozy, holiday-movie warmth in favor of stark minimalism and sleek, monochromatic lines. Once photos of the renovated space went viral, social media erupted.

"What did the last owners do?? The owners before the last owners updated it but kept the charm. Now it's so stale and generic 😢," one fan lamented. "So basically ruined our childhoods along with the original house. 🤦🏾‍♂️," another fumed.

"Not even the exterior looks the same. 😒," a third added. And in a scathing swipe, one person wrote, "What a beautiful hospital."

Listing agents Dawn McKenna and Katie Moor of Coldwell Banker Realty confirmed to PEOPLE in December 2024 that the sale was pending, adding, "We're thrilled with the way this home captured everyone's attention and hearts due to its well-deserved place in cinematic history and the timeless holiday memories it evokes."

Still, the nostalgia-driven uproar only intensified when fans realized how drastically the house's iconic interior had changed.

Even Macaulay, 45, had thoughts. Speaking at a screening of the film in December 2024, he confessed that he had "half a mind to buy [the home], just for giggles" — though he never planned to live there. Instead, he considered turning it into a "movie fun house" where visitors could reenact the film's most memorable scenes.

Ready to see what all the fuss is about?

The lucky new buyers got far more than movie nostalgia: the five-bedroom, six-bath estate now includes a fully equipped gym, state-of-the-art movie theater, indoor sports court with a 3-point line, and a three-car heated garage — a far cry from the booby-trapped wonderland of 1990.

Its previous owners, Tim and Trisha Johnson, purchased the home in 2012 for just $1.585 million, according to Mansion Global. Reflecting on their time there, Trisha shared a sweet detail:

"Sometimes we'll hear the Kevin scream [from outside]. It's a lot of fun to see people as excited as they are just to see my house."

And the nostalgia runs even deeper for Laura Abendshien, who lived in the home during filming.

"We stayed in the house pretty much the entire period, which was about four or five months," she revealed during a "This Morning" appearance. "In order to avoid appearing onscreen, we would have to crawl around the window line from room to room."

She later added, "We saw something special was happening, but we didn't anticipate how much of a hit it would be."

That "something special" would go on to become a global sensation, spawning two sequels and an undying fanbase.

And now? That fanbase is mourning what's been lost — or, in their eyes, stripped away.

Ready to see what all the fuss is about? Scroll down to see the "Home Alone" house before and after its dramatic transformation.

The 'Home Alone' Home — Then & Now

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