The longtime residence of Gloria Gaynor, a sprawling contemporary in Green Brook, New Jersey with an enclosed heated pool, home theater and lots of closets, is back on the market. The price is $ 1.249 million.
The two-story stucco home, built in 1988, sits on just under an acre on a leafy cul-de-sac near 52-acre Washington Rock State Park in central New Jersey. It's about an hour's drive from Midtown Manhattan.
Ms. Gaynor, who won a Grammy for her hit disco single "I Will Survive" and the recently released gospel album "Testimony", bought the house in 1999 with her former husband Linwood Simon from architect Jeffrey Beer, who also designed it .
Several upgrades have been made over the years. "I've done a lot," she said, rattling off a long list of changes that included extensive landscaping, completing the entire basement walkway, and renovating the kitchen and bathrooms.
The 5,318-square-foot home and sprawling property were great for entertaining, Ms. Gaynor said, and she has hosted numerous dinner parties and gatherings in the backyard over the years. "I used to have a July 4th party and then changed it to a Christmas party and then a birthday party," she said. “Outside I built a stage in front of the pool and people danced. Inside, people were watching football on TV or playing pool and listening to the jukebox. "
She also enjoyed cooking for friends and neighbors in the spacious eat-in kitchen. One of their specialties: oxtail strudel in puff pastry.
But while Ms. Gaynor made many fond memories at Green Brook, she said that it has become increasingly difficult to navigate the house after operations on her spine and knee. "I would rarely go upstairs," she said. And many of her neighbors that she came close to have moved away, she added.
Ms. Gaynor is currently building another home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey that will be more accessible and closer to New York City, where she is working on several projects. "It's a two-story house with more of one level," she said of the property, adding that she is expected to move early next year.
The Green Brook home, with an annual property tax of $ 26,471, wasn't launched until mid-2019, then last year at the start of the pandemic. "The timing was bad," said Ms. Gaynor. It is currently listed by Lisa Poggi, an agent at Douglas Elliman Real Estate. She called the property "a great family property".
"It has the ability to accommodate large families without everyone standing on top of each other," said Ms. Poggi. "There is a lot of room to breathe and a lot of light."
The house has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and two half baths. It is entered through a large, two-story marble foyer with floor-to-ceiling windows, a wet bar and a guest toilet. Next to the foyer is a sunken living room anchored by a marble fireplace and a wall of windows. Behind it is a formal dining area. Nearby is a combined kitchen and family room with a fireplace and three French doors that lead onto a rear stone terrace. The kitchen is equipped with granite countertops, a breakfast bar and a pantry. There is also a guest room, bathroom, laundry room and dirt room in this wing.
On the other side of the first floor, next to the foyer, is the master bedroom suite, which contains an en-suite bathroom with a jacuzzi, an extra large walk-in closet, a sun room and a living room with another fireplace.
Upstairs there are three further bedrooms, each with a large walk-in closet. One has its own bathroom, the other two share a bathroom.
The finished basement opens to a ground-level terrace in the backyard, where the enclosed pool and a pavilion are located. In the basement with a window there is a large lounge, a playroom, a fitness room and a home cinema with 12 reclining seats, one of Mrs. Gaynor's favorite places in the house.
Ms. Gaynor, whose current projects include a documentary about her life, another gospel album and a book, says she is "recreating everything" in her new home, which she likes at Green Brook's home.
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