Linky to article in Cleveland Free Times re: Making of the Movie.
Much of the movie was filmed in Cleveland in 1983. I was in junior high school at the time and remember that they filmed the scenes in Higbee's and on Public Square in February, but there was no snow on the ground that night! Higbee's, by the way, was a real local department store chain, since taken over by Dillard's.
The Higbee's on Public Square, at one time, was managed by my sister-in-law's father. The store closed (as Dillard's) in 2000 and is still vacant, but I understand there is a "Chistmas Story" display in one of the front windows this holiday season.
The house is in the Tremont neighborhood in Cleveland on West 11th Street. A guy from California bought the house on eBay last year for $150,000.00 and plans to turn it into a "Christmas Story" gift shop and possibly a museum.
Just a little trivia...
Mike