A piece of New York history has just landed on the market, and this one carries significant cultural significance.
According to The New York Post, the former home of icon Lena Horne—legendary singer, actress, dancer, and civil rights trailblazer—has been listed for $1.22 million. Matthew Wynter of Brown Harris Stevens is the listing agent of record.
The Tudor-style residence sits at 112-45 178th Street in Addisleigh Park, a quiet Queens pocket where homes rarely become available. Horne bought the six-bedroom property in 1946 and lived there for nearly 20 years before relocating to Manhattan.
The home has changed hands only twice since, most recently purchased in 2004 by current owner Camille Chin-Kee-Fatt, who discovered the then-two-line open house listing by chance. “I didn’t know the home had belonged to Lena Horne,” she said to the outlet. “That sent it over the top for me.”
The 2,287-square-foot home spans four levels, including a finished basement that once housed an old wooden bar—now long gone, but still a memorable detail for Chin-Kee-Fatt.
Inside, the house features arched entryways, a wood-burning fireplace, and an eat-in kitchen. Outside, the property includes a backyard with a hot tub, gazebo, sunroom, and large deck, offering a suburban feel without ever leaving city limits.
While the property stands on its own, its location adds another layer of significance.
Per Untapped Cities, the home sits inside the Addisleigh Park Historic District, once widely known as New York’s “African-American Gold Coast.” The neighborhood earned its nickname due to its concentration of prominent Black entertainers, athletes, and professionals throughout the mid-20th century. Figures such as Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Jackie Robinson, and jazz great Cootie Williams all lived within its tree-lined streets.
Addisleigh Park was initially built in the 1910s and 1920s as a segregated white suburb near the St. Albans Golf Course. Legal challenges in the 1940s—along with the landmark Shelley v. Kraemer (1948) ruling that made racial covenants unenforceable—helped open the neighborhood to Black homebuyers. The result was one of the country’s most notable enclaves of Black success and stability during a period of deep racial segregation.
Though St. Albans is more commonly recognized today as the birthplace of hip-hop giants LL Cool J and A Tribe Called Quest, the area’s earlier legacy remains preserved through the homes and memories of its residents. As Chin-Kee-Fatt noted, longtime neighbors still share stories—like visiting Horne’s house as children to receive hot chocolate on Christmas.