Celebrity Homes around Englewood Cliffs, NJ

For years, celebrities and other wealthy people have favored living in luxury homes in northern New Jersey. That might seem odd to some, considering that the bright lights and fancy attractions of Manhattan are just across the mighty Hudson River.

But the northern part of the Garden State has a lot to offer when it comes to real estate. Whether they are movie stars, athletes, or titans of industry, many celebrities prefer the spaciousness and privacy they find in mansions on large plots of land surrounded by trees, offering a welcome respite from the crowded concrete jungles of the Big Apple.

While there are celebrity homes in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, there are also similar homes in nearby communities such as Tenafly and Cresskill, which also stretch along the Hudson River and are connected to upper Manhattan by the George Washington Bridge.

It’s not unusual for these homes to be as large as 10,000 square feet and sell for millions of dollars. They have fabulous features, such as gourmet kitchens, wine cellars, home theaters, and luxury master bedroom suites that include large walk-in closets and spa-like bathrooms with the most relaxing amenities possible.

You don’t have to be a celebrity to find a wonderful home in Englewood Cliffs. However, due to the great location and easy commute to New York City, the median home price in the community is close to $1.6 million. The best way to navigate the market is to hire a licensed real estate agent who has extensive experience in the luxury market and is an expert at matching buyers’ needs and wants with a large, comfortable home. Reach out to the team at New Jersey Proper, and take a look at some of the celebrity homes in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, and surrounding communities.

Bubble Hill is as famous for its past owners as its exquisite characteristics. Located in nearby Englewood, the 25,000-square-foot mansion situated on nearly four acres has been owned by the legendary Eddie Murphy as well as music superstar Alicia Keys and her husband, Swizz Beatz.

Bubble Hill is a classic brick mansion that was built in 1980 with an impeccably detailed interior that features 32 total rooms, including eight bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, and a stunning array of amenities. There are formal and informal living and dining rooms, an art-deco theater, two elevators, a chef’s kitchen, a spa, and a sunroom.

There’s no shortage of fun things to do, with indoor and outdoor pools, a two-lane bowling alley, a billiards room, a pub room, a carriage house with a gym, and racquetball and tennis courts. There’s also a recording studio and a five-car garage. There are two adjoining lots on the gated property.

The mansion shares its name with Murphy’s song “Bubble Hill” from the late 1980s. He bought it in 1985 for $3.2 million and then put it on the market in 2004 at around $30 million. It eventually sold in 2012 for $10.4 million to Keys and Beats, who is a producer. They bought adjoining acreage the next year for a reported $1.7 million to increase the overall size of the property. They eventually put it on the market and went through several price drops before selling it for just $6 million in 2022.

Another fabulous celebrity home with Hollywood ties is Gloria Crest Estate. This massive Mediterranean villa-inspired mansion in the upscale East Hill neighborhood in Englewood was once the home of actress and producer Gloria Swanson, who was one of the biggest stars of the silent movie era before taking on her best-known role as Norma Desmond in the 1950 film noir classic “Sunset Boulevard.”

Gloria Crest Estate is another opulent mansion that sold recently for far less than initially listed. Often referred to as The White House of Englewood, the Gloria Crest Estate has more than 15,000 square feet of living space on four levels. Its 28 rooms include eight bedrooms, nine full bathrooms, and for those who like to entertain often, five powder rooms. Count Stefan de Poniatowski of Poland commissioned its construction in 1926. Incredible touches from that era include a stunning double staircase in the entryway, five fireplaces, and beautifully landscaped grounds.

The estate was listed for sale in 2013 for a whopping $39 million. It finally sold in September 2021 for just $4.6 million, a drop of 88%. There had been four listing agents and more than eight price reductions before the lavish estate was sold to an undisclosed buyer.

While certainly glamorous and beautiful, there is a cautionary tale with a mansion even of the stature of Gloria Crest Estate. The difficulty in selling it had to do with the six-figure annual real estate tax bill and the fact it needed expensive renovations that would take some time to complete.

Basketball legend Patrick Ewing recently sold his mansion in nearby Cresskill for $2.65 million, which was a big discount from its listing price of $6.9 million. Ewing had purchased the estate for $6.35 million in 2007, five years after he finished his Hall of Fame career with the NBA’s New York Knicks.

Like Ewing himself, the mansion in the exclusive Tamcrest Estates neighborhood is big. It has seven bedrooms and eight full bathrooms and two half-baths. Other amenities include a large library, a well-appointed foyer with a grand staircase, five fireplaces, a swimming pool, and, of course, a basketball court. Like many other celebrity mansions, it is surrounded by trees on a spacious lot.

One of the charms of living in North Jersey is sharing the area with celebrity homes in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. If you’re in the market for one of the many luxury homes available just across the Hudson River from the bright lights of the Big Apple, contact New Jersey Proper today.

_{*Header photo courtesy of Wikimedia}