Cleveland, OH

Table Of Content

• The spirit of the classic holiday movie lives on in a modest house in Cleveland that's now up for sale.
• Where to Stay?
• Life
• The 'A Christmas Story' House Is an Enduring Pop-Culture Landmark in Cleveland
• Sign up for What Happened Now? - a daily email newsletter spotlighting the top news in the Cleveland area each day.
• Rebuilding After a Fire. Are Things Really Just Things?

Hit with the Fairytale-fever of the early 1920s, filmmaker and silent screen luminary Charlie Chaplin commissioned these four magical abodes for himself and his crew working at his La Brea Avenue studios. Guests that are lucky enough to visit these quaint bungalows are greeted with cobbled stone walkways, steeply-pitched wavy roofs, and crooked half-timbering that has been home to the likes of Judy Garland and the Hollywood elite. This playful branch of architecture was introduced to the city in the 1920s when soldiers returned from Europe after The Great War.

The spirit of the classic holiday movie lives on in a modest house in Cleveland that's now up for sale.

At the time, the former Navy intelligence officer living in San Diego was running a business making and selling novelty leg lamps like the iconic one in the movie; he had sold about 1,800 of them. It just seemed so meant-to-be to buy this matching piece of pop culture history. Initially, he didn’t know what he would do with what he describes as a “beat-down rental property,” but he ultimately also bought other properties on the street, turning what amounted to a 1.3-acre campus into a tourist attraction in 2006. Although the movie wasn’t a big box office success upon its initial release in November of 1983, A Christmas Story has become one of the most beloved holiday films of all time.

Where to Stay?

The fortunes of the house, and eventually the immediately surrounding area, began to change in the early 1980s when director Bob Clark began scouting for a location. When “A Christmas Story” was released in 1983, it was not an immediate hit. But, as the years passed, the story of a little boy from Indiana who wanted nothing more than a BB gun for Christmas worked its way into the collective hearts of Americans to become a holiday classic. Built in 1904 by a wealthy lumberman and shipwright, the historic Christmas House Inn & Gardens was designed as a place to entertain Southern California’s high society. This grand Victorian was home to weddings, celebrations, and an annual Christmas party so lavish it gave the house its name. The craftsmanship of the house – from the grand redwood staircase to the hand-carved mantels of the seven fireplaces – was meant to impress, as was the 80 acres of ranch and vineyards that would later give way to citrus groves.

Life

Iconic Ohio house from 'A Christmas Story' selling to new owner - WLWT Cincinnati

Iconic Ohio house from 'A Christmas Story' selling to new owner.

Posted: Fri, 27 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

But neither gray skies nor unfriendly temperatures have dampened the spirits of visitors who have gathered to tour the modest house featured in the 1983 film, A Christmas Story. Stay the NightRelive A Christmas Story by spending the night in A Christmas Story House or the Bumpus House. There is no minimum stay requirement except for holidays which requires a two-night minimum stay, and days the property is closed guests staying in A Christmas Story House will enjoy access to the entire house all day.

The 'A Christmas Story' House Is an Enduring Pop-Culture Landmark in Cleveland

In 2003, he decided to start selling leg lamps out of his 1,000-square-foot condo. The business took off much quicker than he anticipated; at one point, he sold 2,100 leg lamps in a single year. A few years later, the house that appeared in A Christmas Story went up for sale on eBay, and in 2006, Jones purchased it for $150,000. Location & ParkingA Christmas Story House & Museum is located just five minutes from downtown Cleveland at 3159 W. 11th St. A Christmas Story House & Museum has two free parking lots and free street parking on the streets in front of and adjacent to the property. The first parking lot is located directly to the left of A Christmas Story House.

The Stolen Turkey and Hound Dog Haven are separate suites with in the Bumpus House. The Stolen Turkey Suite encompasses the second and third floors. The Hound Dog Haven Suite occupies the first floor and is handicap accessible. The museum is located across the street from the A Christmas Story House. In it, you’ll find lots of things connected to the films, from costumes like Randy’s snowsuit to behind-the-scenes production photos. The A Christmas Story House & Museum opened to the public in 2006.

The campus includes five buildings on seven parcels and numerous parking lots. Owner Brian Jones spent nearly two decades acquiring the property piece by piece. The San Diego native was obsessed with the 1984 film since childhood and purchased the main house on eBay in 2004 before buying the rest, the listing explained. While Ralphie’s house is the most-celebrated location used in the film, it’s not the only Cleveland spot seen in the movie.

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It tells the heartwarming tale of 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his desire to have Santa Claus bring him that Red Ryder BB gun. His Christmas wish takes plenty of twists and turns as the Parker family embarks on a hilarious holiday journey filled with countless lines fans frequently quote, while making leg lamps a must-have item in many households. Although the movie wasn’t a big box office success upon its initial release, A Christmas Story has become one of the most beloved holiday films of all time.

Captivated by the charming style of the dwellings in the quaint villages, they were inspired to recreate it, according to architect and historian Arrol Gellner. Meanwhile, Hollywood’s fascination with foreign lands continued to grow along with the development of photography, giving creators rich visual insight into “exotic” designs. Dickerson, who was born in Cleveland, has been with the museum for nearly 16 years, starting in the warehouse before moving to the museum's front office.

McCartney recalls being similarly in awe when he saw the A Christmas Story House for the first time. When it opened to the public in 2006, he stood in line for hours waiting to get in. Today, McCartney’s been back many times, and has a standing tradition with his mother to have lunch together and make an annual pilgrimage to the house and museum.

Unfortunately, the process isn’t always so straightforward or timely, insurance companies are slow to pay or a mortgage lender buries homeowners in red tape. Since we were uninsured renters, a former co-worker started a GoFundMe for us, a common go-to for people and families who have recently experienced disasters. In Los Feliz, you’ll find architect Ben Sherwood’s Snow White Cottages anchored by a tall European-esque tower with stone accents. It’s a beautiful example of Storybook architecture might look like it was taken from the most famous animated Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but the opposite is true. One of the 8 cottages housed a Walt Disney animator and it’s hard to deny the parallels.

To thank the city, the producers named the house’s fictional thoroughfare Cleveland Street. The setting for the beloved holiday movie that is now a museum and a bed and breakfast announced Tuesday that Joshua Dickerson, the operation's current CEO, is "taking an equity stake in the company" and will become the managing partner. A change in ownership was initially announced in October, but the full details had not yet been revealed. The film’s memorable catchphrases—“You’ll shoot your eye out! On Christmas Eve, cable channels show the film for 24 hours straight.