A super-fan of the 1985 movie bought the Victorian-era house in Astoria, Oregon. He says his number one priority is to preserve the iconic home.
ASTORIA, Oregon – A super-fan of “The Goonies” will soon do the Mix of truffles in his new home: the iconic white Victorian on a hill in Astoria, Oregon, where the 1985 cult movie was filmed.
Behman Zakeri, a self-proclaimed “serial entrepreneur,” said he fulfilled a childhood dream by buying the house for just over $1.65 million.
As the self-proclaimed ‘Goonie’, he said his first priority was to make sure the house Never say die.
“The reason I buy it is for the community,” Zakeri said. “Someone has to be the guardian, someone has to preserve the landmark. Someone has to keep it original and not go out of fashion.”
“Goonies” character Mikey Walsh, played by Sean Astin, lived in the movie house. In the Steven Spielberg-directed film, Walsh and his fellow Goonies find a treasure map in the attic and go on a treasure hunt through a tunnel in the basement of the house, evading a dangerous group of criminals who want the loot for themselves.
“I told the agent, if I’m up against Steven Spielberg or Sean Astin or something like that, I’m out!” Zakeri said.
The house, located in a residential neighborhood in the coastal town of Astoria, Oregon, has attracted fans of the film for years. Its new owner hopes to keep it accessible to tourists who wish to visit it.
“The Goonies are welcome,” Zakeri said. He said he had no problem with fans taking selfies at the property — he was one himself — and only asked that they be respectful of the surrounding neighborhood.
Popularity with tourists was sometimes a touchy subject for the former owner of the house. After the film’s 30th anniversary drew up to 1,500 daily visitors to the house, the owner temporarily covered the house with tarps and posted “no trespassing” signs prohibiting tourists from entering the property. She then reopened the house to the public. The City of Astoria has also imposed stiff fines for parking in “no-go” areas of the neighborhood due to the amount of tourist traffic.
Zakeri, who lives in the Kansas City area, does not plan to live in the house full time.
Astoria’s recent prohibition of short-term rentals, like Airbnbs, means the “Goonies” house will not be available for tourists to rent for a weekend, but Zakeri has not ruled out the possibility of renting to longer-term tenants.
“I think the key is, even if someone is praising it, recognizing that part of life in the Goonies house is adjusting to the traffic,” he added.
What’s the point of living in your childhood dream house if you can’t share it with your childhood best friend? After originally planning to share the ‘Goonies’ home with his childhood friend and neighbor Michael Eakin, they struck gold when they discovered the house next door was also up for sale. Three decades later, friends will become neighbors again.
“I said, ‘Hey Mikey, how about I buy the Goonies house and you buy the house next door?’ and he was like, ‘It’s done.’
Spielberg has yet to call for a sequel, but Zakeri said he’d like to see Hollywood use the house in the future.
“Call me,” Zakeri said. “Make sure that this happens.”
The official house closing date on Wednesday came just hours after actor Ke Huy Quan, who played Data in the ‘Goonies’, won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once”. After the awards show, he recalled that there had been “many scripts” for “Goonies 2” over the past 30 years and he remains “open” to revisiting the character.
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