Like just about everyone, I was shocked to hear about Whitney Houston’s death. I grew up listening to her songs on the radio and, despite all the stories of drama and drug use in her life, it was hard to believe she wouldn’t have another chance at a comeback.
The house where she lived with ex-husband Bobby Brown has been lingering on the market for years. The most recent asking price was $1.75 million, but it was taken back off the market just a few weeks before she died.
It was built in 1992…and it shows.
The listing described the house as “A stunning departure from the ordinary – a sheer bravado of expansiveness and creative expression, this ranch-style contemporary home fulfills the fondest aspirations.”
I think that’s a bed on that platform…
The house has 5 bedrooms and 4.2 baths.
It’s set on “over 5 acres in a haven of lushly landscaped privacy,” according to the former listing. “Outstanding features include curved window-walls, domed skylights, a gracefully flowing floor plan, and walk-out lower entertainment level allowing for contiguous enjoyment of superb tiered terraces and lawns.”
More photos and information about the house on Zillow.
This photo was taken of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston in 1994, soon after this house was built (Getty Images). He reportedly walked out of her funeral because he felt “mistreated” by her family who asked him not to initiate contact with their daughter Bobbi Kristina, so the drama continues after her death.
I love this old photo of her smiling and happy with her life ahead of her on that iconic Seventeen magazine cover from the ’80s (thanks, Cindy!):
I still remember looking at the magazine as a young girl and wondering what it would be like to be so pretty and perfect and unafraid of getting ice cream on your sweater dress. Sadly, the answer for her, at least, was that a perfect-looking life isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.
More Famous Singers’ Houses:
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Shocked, at least to say! I feel for her daughter and it’s such a shame loosing yet another talented person.
), but it was so interesting to see. Thank you for this post, Julia!
The house isn’t my taste ( you know I love cozy places, rights?
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
This reminds me of M.C. Hammer’s mansion. It has 11? gaudy, huge fountains spraying water!! He lost it in bankruptcy.
I remember that one!
I prefer cozy homes as well and contemporary homes can be a tough sell at any price point. Having lived in one evocative of Houston’s home – but much smaller, barely 3 bedrooms, and bought on a comparative pauper”s budget- I found the clean lines to be surprisingly easy to “warm up” and the house was easy to clean. The market was strong when we sold ( ah, the good old days) and we moved within 2 months of putting it on the market, having lived there for 6 years.
We had 2 small children while in the contemporary so we ditched fully carpeted rooms in favor of area rugs and displayed the kids’ colorful artwork which popped against the relatively plain walls. We added plenty of plants, fluffy pillows, some comfy,fun furniture for the kids’ area (rocking chairs, two person loveseats) and ended up with an eclectic modern look, still contemporary but not sterile.
I did want to add that our home wasn’t tacky like I perceive the Houston home to be and we had multiple offers when it came time to sell. Hard to describe but there is a certain type of under-stated eclectic contemporary that can seem warm and homey. We jumped at,the chance to buy our current and dream home, been there over 22 years, but the contemporary had its charms.
money does NOT buy taste
Well it kind of does if you buy a desinger
designer *
The area in which the property is located is one of the most beautiful in Morris County. Governor Christie lives in Mendham as well. (although I can’t remember if it’s the township or the borough, and yeah, it matters. Don’t ever mix the two or you’ll get an earful on why one is superior to the other…lol)
I’ve seen the property in person – it’s not “all that”, and frankly, it’s out of place for the area as far as character.
Interesting! Yeah, I don’t think there’s any question why this house hasn’t sold over the years.
Totally agree Pamela. We just moved from Mendham and her house never fit in with the farmhouses and classic estates that you see in the area.
Thanks Julia…tacky house though.
I just wonder how yours look..You are so negative…but you claim to love Whitney..PLEASE!!!
You cannot be serious. Come on, that is one ugly house. Anyway, I thought she was being really kind with her descriptions and opinions. Gah. Such a hideous home.
oh no, what an eyesore. I wonder if some talented person could renovate it into something attractive? It’s sad to see architecture become useless in such a short period of time, but ick, really you’d have to pay me to live there!
You probably don’t even own your own home…And to make the statement they would have to pay you to live in this house is nothing but a lie…
lol Why are you so defensive about Whitney’s ugly house?
Its not a bad house for its time…but just looking at the outside I would have thought “its time” was 1976-1982. And the interior I would have pegged 1986-1990.
Poor Whitney…I so hoped she would be able to get it together and be healthy again.
It’s definitely a time capsule. I thought the same thing–that it looked very ’80s.
A truly sad situation. She was so very talented. This home, if it is any reflection of her though, lacks warmth and it is as if she lost herself on the climb to fame and fortune.
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Julia,
Thank you for this post and for not diving off into all of the drama and even voicing an opinion of it all. I’m so disheartened by everything that I am reading about Whitney Houston right now and most of the things that disturb me is what’s coming from the “normal” people of the world.
No matter what we might think of Whitney and the life and problems that she had she still had an amazing talent. But above that she was a daughter and a mother. And those people are hurting so badly without her right now. That is what matters most in this tragic loss.
Again thank you for your class with this post and for your blog. Love it!
Belinda
Thank you for standing up and speaking of the sad and very unkind comments made about Whitney Houston. She did have an incredible talent and was a beautiful person who quite simply got lost in her rise to fame and like so many others, was never able to regain control of the demons that destroyed her. You know I am 44 years old and I remember that many times her music allowed me to revel in the joy of “first love” and then helped me through first heartache, allowed me to be uplifted and sometimes brought me backdown to a place where I needed to remember my own faith. Even in death her music has touched me like no other ( “I Look to You and “I didn’t Know my own Strength”). No matter what road she may have traveled she always kept her faith and was very proud to say so. I have to admire her for trying so hard to get it back together so many times. The words to her song “ILook to You “, seem to mirror her struggle and have at times done so for many of us and I believe as the song says “take me far from the battle” and that is just what God did. So…I hopr that more people like you can try to show more compassion and try harder in thier own lives to not be so judgemental. God bless you and thank you for your compassion too!
Are you people day drinking or something?
What a Fugly home. Gross. Maybe someone will buy it just for the land and knock down that circular concrete monstrosity?
Cece- makes you wonder who was the architect or was I so sleep- deprived that I missed it? Just had dental surgery, a bit dazed.v
Correction: Being Bobby Brown reality shown was never filmed in New Jersey. They filmed in the house that was owned by Bobby Brown in Atlanta and in various Atlanta hotel rooms that they lived in.
That’s right ~ I watched, and don’t remember that house. Boy, what a train wreck those two were! They both smoked a lot and if that house smells as bad as it looks it’s not surprising why it hasn’t sold. It will be interesting to see if it sells now if it’s put back on the market. Still sad…………I wish Whitney could have seen herself and her amazing talent the way we did.
That’s strange–the articles I read said they taped it here. I didn’t watch the show so I didn’t know that was wrong info. Thanks, guys! I’ll edit that.
It is a sad situation. Maybe the house will have a better chance of selling now in the wake of her death. It’s going to need all the help it can get because it is very very dated.
I really, really wanted to like it — or at least like its potential, but…not so much. I also grew up listening (and dancing to) Whitney’s songs — Remember “I Want to Dance With Someone?”
With over five acres of land, at that price, it will probably be a tear down. I think it has great bones, the bathroom with the glass cement walls, exquisite!
It seems a home of sadness, not lived in happiness. Best to let it go to the developers. RIP child.
This house reminds me of a spaceship. I think you’d really have to love Whitney or really love 80′s architecture to buy this home.
even in New Jersey, I’ll take my chances with my 1.7 mil and find something a little better than that! the inside is horrendous — anddddd for 1.7 – wheres my pool!?! living in mississippi makes me expect every house over a million to have a pool
— in any case, interesting to see, Julia — thanks!
Looks like something out of a Miami Vice episode. I can almost see Sonny there in his blue tee and linen blazer, sockless, suntanned and stubbled.
It has all the charm of a Hoboken Hilton circa 1990. Didn’t that living room remind anyone of a 3rd rate hotel lobby?
Her life should have had a different ending. She was far beyond merely talented. As tragic as her death is, and as sorry as I am for her family . . . ultimately, the choices were hers.
Yes, I could totally see Don Johnson hanging out in this house!
Maybe it could be use as a set for movies/tv shows set in the 1980s? Otherwise, the best thing to do would be to tear it down. Somehow I doubt this still of architecture will ever come back in style.
I keep waiting for the Solid Gold dancers to perform in the living room.
I’m not surprised her house hasn’t sold at all. This place sadly, doesn’t have any good character about it at all and will most likely be torn down. Even though I didn’t care for this house, it was still interesting to see.
I remember Whitney in Seventeen too!
eeee, I must have blotted Seventeen from memory … it was a huge source of self-esteem erosion for me, comparing myself to the models.
I hope girls today don’t do that.
This house’s interiors recall a spaceship … I can see Captain Kirk living there.
Although it seems to lack character, to the right person this house could be a dream.
Absolutely agree! We have something like that around the corner (smaller, of course) and it sat on the market till the price was a steal. Amazing how easily it was updated and later appeared in a national magazine.
I don’t hate this house. I think the late eighties, early nineties interior finishes could be redone and it could be interesting. With all the natural light, I would certainly like it better than a Tudor. And all the areas definitely FLOW! :p) Lol!!
The pictures don’t show it, but it MUSt have a pool. Where else would Don J. be lounging in his linen Versace suit? It needs a pet alligator.
To me it has a cheerful disposition despite all the drugs, delirium and unhappiness it once contained.
OK, I looked at it again, and it is kinda bad. I just love lots of windows, though.
I , too, was so sad for Whitney. I believe angels led her in….. As for the house, to me it looks like someone’s IDEA of what Whitney Houston’s house should be, not a home at all.
I’m so sad about Whitney. Sad for her family as well.
As for the house. Tear it down.
On second thought. Maybe they should use it as a set for the movie that will no doubt be made about Whitney’s life. Then they can either sell it or tear it down.
I also grew up with Whitney. In some strange way I felt like I knew her on a personal level. I remember driving by her house one day trying to see it through the trees that surround it on the property. I cant believe she is no longer with us. I think it is a great loss and feel for her daughter and mother.
Hi Julia I was in my 20′s when Whitney hit the music scene I thought she had the most amazing voice and a special way of singing that no one else can do (ever). The day they announced her passing they put the Bodyguard movie on I must have cried from the start what a loss can’t imagine what her family is going through. I must confess I don’t like the house it looks cold. Thank you for sharing. Regards Esther from Sydney.
Beautiful interestin post Julia!! I love Whitney… it’s a very sad moment, it is an icon of my beautiful ’80s … thanks!
Etta
that house really is spectacular, but she always was a diva in her own mind first, I loved her so much, so sad to see her decline over the years, I wish things had been better for her, but she sure did have good digs!!
I have that magazine to this day still in perfect condition. I also have one other Seventeen with her in it. She was so gorgeous. That was when that magazine was amazing.
As for the house. Even redecorated it wouldn’t be my style. The bones are too modern and way too curvy.
Plus, that house just seems like a sad place. I know she didn’t die in that house. But, it would still be creepy for me to live in Whitneys former home.
I can’t get over how there isn’t anything in the house that stands out in the way of “Oh they had money.” I don’t mean that rude. But, like I don’t see art work. Or furniture that has anything show stopping about it. It’s interesting.
How the heck is a .2 bathroom?
I assume they mean two half baths.
Hmmmmmmmm….interesting that it was taken off the market a few weeks before she died….it may very well sell for a lot more now…
Seeing her home just made me sad all over again.
Wow, that house needs a LOT of work! I’d be passing on that house too.
I still can’t believe she was only 48… there is something about how long she’s been famous for that made her seem older in my head. 48!! It’s very sad.
For all of you people who has something negative to say about this home is just a sign of pure stupidness… a empty house does not make a home it takes a family to make a house a home….Do you really think all of her furniture was going to be left inside…COME ON PEOPLE….I see there are a lot of fake Whitney Houston fans and you all should be ashame of yourselves…
They did film at least one episode of Being Bobby Brown in the house. Whitney is shown singing while sitting on the white couch in that living room and her daughter runs over and tries to cover her mouth. She can also be seen wiping down the counters in the kitchen after someone made hot dogs. And that furniture was also Whitney’s. It’s been shown in a photo shoot for a Life magazine article and it also appears in a Barbara Walters special. There’s a GIGANTIC pool behind it that has her initials carved in the bottom of it. Kind of eerie in light of how she died. You can see a picture of it here: http://images.yuku.com.s3.amazonaws.com/image/pjpeg/e34132927b93adc2e6f7cc9a64f85cf704ba0.pjpg
Thank you for clearing that up! Very helpful.
It’s actually surprising a house this size for $1.75M hasn’t sold. I’d buy it (if I had the $1.5M in liquid assets required to look at it).
Horrible!
Personally, I like the structure of the house…unusual….spectacular….just as Whitney was when she purchased it. Love to Whitney. RIP.
Like Graceland, maybe this home could be a resting place for Whitney’s legacy.
Hmmm, she wasn’t into decorating at all, but some people are like that. I check out Homes for Sales in the “Good Neighborhoods” and they haven’t purchased furnishings or moved a picture since the War. (Which War? Pick One starting with WWI). It’s amazing …..
Oh well, it would be a Great Home for someone with “in excess of” 1 Million to purchase and fix up. Lots of land to landscape and turn into a totally different place.
If I had the money, I would not care about the previous owners
Like you, I’m hate the late few years of her life was such a mess. As a Mother, my heart would be in pieces. You know how you raised them and for them to settle for something so far …. would be a tragedy.
I pray for everyone’s child (small and grown), but in the end, they make their own decisions.
Replace ALL the counter tops and sell it.
I actually think it’s beautiful. Some things are a little dated, but it was built in 1992. If I had the money, and wanted to live in NJ, I’d buy it. Such a beautiful sprawling estate. It’s not on the market now though. I wonder if this might be something Bobbi Kristina keeps. She’ll have to dwindle down what was owned I would think. I think the estate will go up in value quite a bit and Bobbi Kristina will have the money to keep it. Obviously something is paying for it now. If the outside walls were changed to a more texture stucco, it would be gorgeous. She didn’t plan to not live in this house forever though
I love this mansion or house
For me, the house has its own character and can be mastered to look better. I like it much. For those that like living in the era of the late 70′s or 80′s, this house is good.
it can be made into a museum, like elvis presley graceland
Whatever people may say whitney was a true diva. I loved her so much. When I learnt of her death, I was a total wreck that and to date I still miss her so much. I am sorry cece and very very sorry bobbi. People can label her anything but she meant so much to those close to her (family & friends) and me as a fan of whitney my prayer during her days of trouble (addiction) was “Lord please save her, help her, intervene for another chance” but all was invain but what I know right now is the angels are happy to have such a voice eternally. I loved you whitney. R.I.P Cece and Bobbi be strong everything happens for a reason. The devil lied, the devil stole and killed whitney but there is hope for those who believe. She is in good hands, no suffering, no hate no pain no drugs but her sweet voice is rumbling in the heavens. I will always love you Whitney. Alice Zimbabwe
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