Here’s a classic favorite for the holidays.
Did you know that the house featured in the movie A Christmas Story is a real house located in Cleveland, Ohio? And, you can go tour it because it has been preserved as a museum!
A Christmas Story House is an attraction in Cleveland, Ohio’s Tremont neighborhood. The 19th-century Victorian was used for the exterior and even some interior scenes of Ralphie Parker’s house in the 1983 film A Christmas Story.
The house was purchased by a private developer in 2004 on eBay for a mere $150,000. He was a huge fan of the film so he restored and renovated it to appear as it did both inside and outside in the film.
How cool is that?
According to Wikipedia, the new owner, Brian Jones, spent $240,000 to gut the structure, reconfigure it to a single-family dwelling, transform it into a near-replica of the movie set, and restore the exterior to its appearance in the film.
Previous owners had changed the layout of the house and covered it in blue-grey vinyl siding.
How did Jones fund such an ambitious project? He used revenue from his business The Red Rider Leg Lamp Company, which manufactures replicas of the “major award” Ralphie’s father won in the film!
House Crazy Sarah admires such devoted love for historic movie houses!
Located at 3159 W 11th Street, Cleveland, Ohio, the three story home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and was built in the year 1870.
Let’s have a look inside!
The Living Room:
This is the famous living room with the infamous sexy leg lamp.
The Christmas tree is perpetually lit in the corner all year round because this is the Christmas Story house, after all.
Below you can see the leg lamp, the bowling ball gift, AND the “official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle”!
(If you’ve never seen this movie, you HAVE to! It’s super cute.)
Below is a view from the living room through the foyer and kitchen beyond.
The Kitchen:
The kitchen is perhaps the most thrilling room in the house because it has been completely retrofitted with vintage appliances and pieces to match the setting in the film.
The current kitchen layout is not an exact replica of the kitchen in the movie, because some of the interior shots of the kitchen were filmed on a sound stage in Toronto, Canada.
Nonetheless, all the “props” are in fact replicas of what was in the movie.
An old Maytag washer!
See the turquoise & white Hoosier cabinet?
Very similar to the one in the movie!
There’s even a turkey in the oven…
The movie was set in 1940 so looking at this kitchen is like looking back in time.
The Staircase:
Here is the home’s staircase…
And here is the famous scene when Ralphie comes down the stairs pouting in his pink bunny suit:
The poor kid is so tormented in this movie!
The Boys’ Bedroom:
It’s a dead ringer for Ralphie & Randy’s 1940’s bedroom!
The Bathroom:
Here’s the upstairs bathroom where Ralphie spent a lot of time daydreaming about his Christmas list and decoding secret codes:
Look at the high-tank toilet!
It’s neat how they arranged Ralphie’s notes and comics on top of the hamper by the toilet.
And here’s mom’s sewing room:
A peek into the backyard where Ralphie nearly shot his eye out:
The beloved movie house at Christmastime:
You can now visit the house in Cleveland for a $10 admission fee and also check out the accompanying museum and gift shop across the road.
If you are a super fan of the movie, you can also bid on eBay to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the house. The package includes over $800 in gifts, including a pink bunny suit and an iconic leg lamp. All proceeds going to charity.
How fun would it be to spend Christmas in Ralphie’s house?
Sources:
www.https://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com
www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g50207-d638635-Reviews-A_Christmas_Story_House-Cleveland_Ohio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Story_House
www.zillow.com/homedetails/3159-W-11th-St-Cleveland-OH-44109
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