Walt Disney's Childhood Home in Chicago Open to Public for First Time

Fans were able to check out where the filmmaker was born and raised as part of the annual Open House Chicago Festival

Disney fans got a real treat this weekend!

Walt Disney’s childhood home and birthplace in Chicago was open to the public for the first time ever on Saturday and Sunday.

Disney lovers were able to check out where the animated filmmaker was born and raised as part of the Chicago Architecture Center’s free annual Open House Chicago festival to honor the historically significant architecture of the city.

Disney’s carpenter father, Elias, purchased the land in the Hermosa neighborhood of the city on Oct. 31, 1891, and obtained a permit to construct the cottage for $800 a year later. He built the modest two-story home in 1901 from architectural plans his wife Flora drew, according to the Walt Disney Birthplace Restoration website.

Elias “decided to build a home and put down roots in Chicago,” because he had a “growing family," the website adds.

The Disneys moved into the home upon completion in 1901 with their two sons, Herbert and Raymond, and welcomed a third son named Roy shortly after, according to Open House Chicago.

"The Disneys were ordinary people, who did extraordinary things," Walt Disney Birthplace Project Director Rey Colón told local news outlet ABC 7 Chicago.

Related: See Inside Walt Disney’s Storybook Mansion Where He Lived with His Family — Now Available to Rent

Walter — to be known as Walt — was born on the second floor of the home on Dec. 5, 1901, where he grew up until the Disneys sold the property in 1906 and moved to Marceline, Missouri.

"Walt Disney was an example that, you know, if you come from humble beginnings, if you work hard, you follow your dreams. You could change the world," Colón said, per ABC 7 Chicago.

Related: Disney's Most Groundbreaking and History-Making Moments of the Last 100 Years

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The Walt Disney Birthplace Restoration website states that the city of Chicago “attempted to designate the property as a historical landmark” in 1991. However, the homeowner at that time “fought the designation and won, putting the home at risk of demolition.”

Now, the current homeowners “are working with the City to protect the home and restore it to its 1901 state," per the website.

Walt Disney founded what is now known as the Walt Disney Company with brother Roy in 1923. He died at age 65 on Dec. 15, 1966 from lack of blood flow as a result of his lung cancer.

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