Iconic house featured in ‘The Goonies’ will be restored to its former glory

ASTORIA, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) – The famed “Goonies” house in Astoria is being fully restored.

The house, featured in the 1985 classic Spielberg film, is being brought back to its mid-80s movie glory by a design team.

“The whole house, top to bottom, back to the way it was in the movie,” said Emmy-award winning designer James Pearse Connelly.

He’s spent years preparing for his team’s Astoria stay, studying the movie frame by frame and crafting blueprints of every inch of the house.

Connelly said he was approached by the current homeowner in 2023 for the project, and said they hit it off, quoting the movie and sharing ideas.

“The moment you hear, ‘Hey, I own ‘The Goonies” house, I’m trying to restore it back to the way it was in the movie,’ it was like a no-brainer,” Connelly said.

He’s now charged with bringing the 1896 home up to 2025 code, while keeping the interior exactly the way the Walshes wanted it.

The interior is under construction and not ready for viewing yet, but the outside is seeing new paint, wood refinishing and serving as a carpentry site for sourced furniture that needs a bit of tweaking.

After all, saving this home is what drove Steven Spielberg’s Goonies to search the coastline for treasure in the first place.

“It’s a group of friends that all gather in the central living room. And you get introduced to them in this house that is so relatable,” Connelly said of the house’s role in the film.

He described how every choice in both the film and in his work serves a purpose.

“I am calling the people who made the movie, I am asking them where they shopped, why they made those decisions,” he said.

Designers on the film included lead J. Michael Riva, Linda DeScenna, and Rick Carter, who would go on to work with Spielberg on other classics such as “Jurassic Park.”

Connelly, a “Goonies” fan himself, feels the pressure of the cult classic that he’s taken on.

“There are some super duper fans of this project. Not only that, but Steven Spielberg made this movie. Whenever we show the final inside, to whoever sees this …i t’s got to be right,” he said.

The fans themselves play a role, too. Connelly said he is constantly sent ideas or even shipped replica pieces from people all across the globe.

However, he’s sourcing as much as he can locally.

“It’s a treasure hunt,” Connelly said.

As the years-long project enters its final phase, Connelly knows he’s a part of a local legacy.

“Astoria is a huge character in the movie,” he said, standing in front of the home. “They made this space for the Walshes. They told this story about Astoria. And as you dig into the details, it’s not just about Astoria, it’s about being a Goonie and what being a Goonie means.”

Connelly’s team hopes to finish the project in the coming weeks, in time for the film’s 40th anniversary on June 7.

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