A Tudor-style home in the New York City borough of Queens once owned by legendary entertainer and civil rights activist Lena Horne has returned to the market for the first time in more than 20 years.
Whee Lena Lived
The home, located in the historic Addisleigh Park neighborhood of St. Albans, Queens, listed last week for $1.225 million.
Horne purchased the property in 1946, during an era when restrictive property laws still attempted to segregate the community. Over the years she lived there, the neighborhood evolved into what became known as the “African-American Gold Coast,” according to information from Brown Harris Stevens, which holds the listing.
The enclave was also home to many of the era’s most notable Black cultural figures, including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, James Brown and baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson.
Horne, widely recognized for her work as a singer, actress and dancer, lived in the home from 1946 to 1962. Her career spanned film, television and theater, and she was celebrated for refusing to perform before segregated audiences. She died in 2010 at age 92. In 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in her honor, making her the first Black woman to receive such recognition.
Built in 1935 and landmarked in 2011, the 2,287-square-foot home has changed hands only twice since Horne sold it. She transferred ownership in 1962 to a family that later sold it to the current owner, Camille Chin-Kee-Fatt, in 2004 for $460,000, according to PropertyShark records.
Chin-Kee-Fatt said she was drawn to the house even before learning of its history. When the seller told her it had belonged to Horne, “I almost lost it,” she told Mansion Global, recalling a recent conversation with friends about the performer’s legacy. “Here I am, having walked through this house not knowing.”
The three-story home features six bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, including a primary suite that spans the width of the upper floor. Original wood floors remain in place — refinished by Chin-Kee-Fatt — as does a midcentury wood sideboard said to have belonged to Horne. The owner said she hopes it will stay with the property “as a piece of history.”
The white-painted home with black trim is fronted by a red-brick patio, and a back deck leads to a large yard with a patio, gazebo and hot tub. A detached one-car garage sits off the rear of the property. The backyard, one of the owner’s favorite aspects of the home, has hosted outdoor movie nights using a 10-foot screen.
Listing agent Matthew Wynter said the neighborhood’s enduring character is due in part to longtime residents and descendants of original homeowners. “There’s rarely turnover,” he said, adding that the home’s striking facade is a draw even for those unaware of its famous past.
“Regardless if you knew the legacy of who lived there,” Wynter said, “there’s something that’s gravitating about it.”