CLEVELAND — Cleveland is back in the national spotlight as the TODAY show visits Tremont to talk with the owner of A Christmas Story House about putting the iconic property up for sale.
We spoke with NBC's Maggie Vespa early Tuesday morning before national coverage aired on TODAY about what its current owner, Brian Jones, is saying about putting the house on the market.
Jones said the property, which he purchased after finding the listing on eBay in 2004, needed a "massive renovation."
"About a quarter of a million dollars to renovate this place," he told Vespa. "It would’ve been cheaper to tear the house down and start over. Everything had to basically be reworked.”
It all started for Jones when somebody gave him a leg lamp as a gag gift, realizing there's a massive market for this kind of holiday movie nostalgia.
After opening as a tourist attraction in 2006, the landmark movie location at 3159 West 11th Street quickly became a bucket-list destination for film fans around the world.
You can watch the full segment from the TODAY show in the tweet below...
3News was first to break the story that the house used as Ralphie's childhood home in the 1983 holiday hit was being put up for sale -- which also includes all associated properties like the neighboring Bumpus house, gift shop and museum.
An asking price, however, has not been listed as Jones previously told 3News he's looking for the right buyer.
“Price will matter, but not necessarily the highest price that's the right fit for this business and this piece of nostalgic Americana," Jones said moments after placing the "for sale" sign in front of the house.
There has also been some controversy surrounding the sale after TMZ released video of Jones shouting at actor Yano Anaya -- who portrayed bully Grover Dill in the film -- demanding he leave the property during an argument outside of the house.
TMZ said Jones did apologize with the following statement: "I apologize for the way I expressed myself; however, it was out of concern that fans could be misled into contributing to a GoFundMe campaign that will not result in the purchase of the house."
Interested in buying the house?
“When we say all this can be yours, we’re serious,” according to the listing. “The entire campus is for sale, which spans a total of 1.3 acres including five buildings on seven parcels. Additionally, there are two public and one private parking lots, and two empty lots, which create room for further expansion."
The house remains open for tours and overnight stays amid the sale.
For film fans visiting Cleveland, there are additional locations throughout the city used in the production that you can explore. Remember the Santa slide scene? That was filmed inside the former Higbee building downtown, which is now home to the JACK Cleveland Casino. What about the holiday windows where Ralphie first lays eyes on the Red Ryder BB gun? That was filmed in Public Square just outside of the Higbee building -- which is also where the holiday parade took place.