Cyndi Lauper | House Tour | $2 Million New York Mansion & More

These days, Cyndi Lauper is a full-time city girl. This singer was actually living in a quiet out-of-town Connecticut retreat for over 3 decades. But after placing it on the market in 2017, she packed her bags for her current apartment in the Upper West Side, and today we're going to take a look. In these videos we don't reveal any addresses and even though I've done a house tour of my own place, please do not show up at any private residences because it's not safe for anyone. Cyndi Lauper is an American singer, songwriter and occasional actress who rose to fame during the 1980's and would go on to become one of the most successful pop stars of her time, earning herself a net worth of around 50 million dollars. Best known for hits like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Time After Time, Cyndi's unique 4 octave vocal range would ensure that she stood out amongst her competition and help her sell over 50 million records. But did you know that for the past 30 years, Cyndi has lived in the very first home she ever bought? That's right, this 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom getaway, located in North Stanford, Connecticut, has been where Cyndi laid down her head every night for about as long as most of us have been alive. But a few years ago, Cyndi finally made the decision to place her home on the market and move permanently to New York City, where she now resides in a gigantic condominium with something of a complicated past. And when I tell you how much Cyndi is spending on her New York apartment, well, I think you're gonna have to sit yourself down. So get comfy and settle in. Hey guys, it's Kara the Vampire Slayer back with another exclusive house tour here on Famous Entertainment. This time we're checking out where Cyndi Lauper calls home. Don't forget to like, subscribe and hit me up on Instagram to chat. Now let's get into this video. For more than 30 years, this Saddle Hill Road estate has been home to Cyndi Lauper, her husband, actor Dave Thornton, and their son. From the very beginning, Cyndi always intended this place to be her musical sanctuary – a getaway where she could work in peace, and that's exactly what happened. While living here, Cyndi would write some of her most popular music, including 5 albums AND her Tony Award winning musical, Kinky Boots. First built in 1975 for footwear designer Vince Camuto, the home was sold to Cyndi in 1986, soon after he vacated. This 3,900 square foot residence is designed in a classic Connecticut style, with a cedar mansard roof, etched glass doors, and a large palladium window centralized in a living room that offers amazing seasonal lake views. Easily one of the standout features of the home is the classic 19th century front door which was sourced from an actual 19th century English manor house. Speaking of European flavour, the interior of the home is largely the work of the founder In fact, he imported a special press from Italy to hand stencil Cyndi's walls like in the vaulted ceiling of the great room, where all that craftsmanship is framed by large wooden beams. Not far from there is Cyndi's kitchen, which includes a breakfast nook that features a train car bench imported all the way from Paris, France. Then there's the master bedroom with its intricate mosaics made from imported French tiling. In fact, all of Cyndi's bathroom, sinks, bidets, yes this is the kind of house that includes bidets, as well as toilets are 19th century French pieces. Meanwhile, the tile in the master bathroom is more of a modern era and imported from England. Moving on to the recording studio above the garage, Cyndi has decorated the place like a museum with her many platinum records, providing an accent to the wall above her soundboard. There's even a thrill pillow on a nearby loveseat that has Cyndi's face airbrushed onto it. This family home also has a sprawling partial wraparound stone terrace that overlooks the backyard and the kidney-shaped swimming pool that's been built into the side of a ravine. Tall trees and shrubs do their part to obscure any nosy neighbors, and for the most part, the whole of this acre and a half of property feels totally remote. Which is probably why Cyndi stayed here for as long as she ultimately did. But then, in 2017, Cyndi finally felt like it was time for a permanent change. That's when she put her home on the market for 1.25 million dollars. But 3 months later, she'd reduced the price to $935,000, her broker told the Stanford Advocate at the time. The listing got worldwide attention and a lot of interest at the original price point, but the physics of real estate in general and the state of the market right now came into play. We decided to price it aggressively and got at least 5 or 6 offers in a bidding war. Cyndi might have wound up with a bidding war in her hands, but she still ended up eating what she must have considered to be a loss when she finally sold the home for $804,000. Almost 500k less than what she was originally asking for. But hey, don't feel too bad for Cyndi, because when I tell you about the background to her New York apartment, you're going to discover that the universe sometimes evens things out. Cyndi Lauper is now officially a city girl full time. After selling her home in Connecticut because her son was moving off to college, Cyndi and her hubby decided to move to the Big Apple and live permanently in a building that they have long rented in the Upper West Side. And I said rented, not owned. And boy oh boy is there a lot of baggage with this property. This building is conveniently and pretty controversially rent-stabilized. This legendary limestone landmark has wooed famous tenants throughout the years, everyone from Al Pacino to Cyndi Poitier, and yes, Cyndi and Dave too. But the Apthorpe building, as it's called, has been a hotbed for corruption for decades. Even the State Attorney General's office has investigated its shady business practices in the past. Let's talk a little bit about the physical nature of the building. Listed on the Register of Historic Places, the Apthorpe takes up an entire New York City block, all the way from Broadway to West End Avenue, between 78th and 79th streets. So you know, it's massive. Modeled after the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy, the original owner of this building, William Waldorf Astor, had it built in 1906. Soon afterwards, thanks to its grand courtyard, the building would become a hub for NYC's rich and famous, allowing them to live in ultimate luxury at rent-stabilized prices. And here's the extremely convoluted way in which Cyndi Lauper came to be a resident here. Back in 1992, a guy named Shlomo Barron, yes, that's his real name, agreed to lease an apartment in the building from the then-owners. At the time, Shlomo, he agreed in his lease not to use this apartment as his primary residency. What does that have to do with anything? Well, the owners used that as an excuse to remove the apartment from rent regulation, and then, they began charging Shlomo $2,400 a month in rent as opposed to what it was supposed to be. Only $507 a month. Not willing to take that lying down, Shlomo came up with a plan. And this is where Cyndi Lauper comes in. Never moving into the unit at all, Shlomo turned around and immediately sublet the 4-room apartment to Cyndi and Dave. And what price? Well, $3,250 a month. That's how you beat the system. The only problem was, eventually, Cyndi and Dave caught onto what was going on. In 1996, Cyndi and Dave sued Shlomo, claiming that they were being overcharged under the rent stabilization law. The court would eventually rule in Cyndi's favor, saying that because Shlomo was never living there, she was the actual tenant. Thus, the apartment was subject to rent regulations. However, in 2000, Cyndi and Dave would then sue the building's owners, asking them to set the rent back to the original $507 a month price. In New York City for millionaires. Yeah, right. The owners, citing the law's 4-year statute of limitations for challenging rents, offered to cut the amount owed to $2,500 a month, which was the base rent the building had been charging for years at this point. Rather than agree, the matter went back to court. Eventually, the court ruled that setting the rent at $2,500 would effectively reward the owners for wrongdoing, and then, they came to the decision that the new rent should be calculated by a different formula. Anyways, long story short. For years now, Cyndi has only been paying $988 a month to live in an amazing New York City apartment. All I can say is sometimes a girl just wants to live rent free, or about as close to it as possible. Alright guys, that's gonna bring an end to this Cyndi Lauper house tour. Be sure to leave your thoughts about Cyndi's former Connecticut home down below and tell me what you think about how much she spends in her New York apartment while you're at it. Personally, I liked her Connecticut property and all of the unique style within it. I would've stayed there and avoided the apartment drama, but that's just me. Anyways, thanks for tuning in. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram and I can't wait to see you all again in our next house tour. Bye!