Vanessa Williams House Tour: Photos of New York Home

New York has always had a special place in Vanessa Williams’ heart! The singer was born in the Bronx and later moved to Chappaqua in Westchester County. After finding stardom, she bought her own home in the neighborhood which has since become a celebrity real estate hub.

Vanessa made her Broadway debut in 1994’s Kiss of the Spider Woman. The Ugly Betty alum has always lived a short train ride away from the stages that brought her critical acclaim. In between starring in some of Broadway’s most popular productions and making hit records, Vanessa enjoyed trips upstate to visit her family.

“I used to come to Buffalo from the ’60s through the early ’80s, going to AM&As after Thanksgiving with my grandmother, shopping for Christmas stuff,” she told The Buffalo News in June 2018. “Downtown was bustling. It was alive. [I remember] great food and listening to stories of my mom growing up. It was during the heyday of when Buffalo was thriving.”

Her connection to New York led her to meet her third husband, Jim Skrip, in 2012. During a trip to Egypt with her daughter Sasha Fox, whom she shares with ex-husband Rick Fox, Vanessa noticed that Jim, a stranger, was wearing a Buffalo Sabres T-shirt.

“I found out he was from Buffalo, which is also where my mom is from,” she told Glamour in August 2019. “We started talking, had dinner and then it just continued from there. I forced myself to be open, to take a chance.”

After going out to dinner, the pair fell in love. They got married in 2015 after three years of dating. Vanessa is also a mom to kids Melanie, Jillian and Devin, whom she welcomed during her marriage to Ramon Hervey II. Her children visit often at the gorgeous home she shares with Jim.

The Desperate Housewives actress and her hubby have quite a few famous neighbors like Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, Ben Stiller and Alan Arkin. In 2011, Vanessa hosted the wedding of Ugly Betty costar America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams at her estate. The outdoor ceremony was officiated by Judith Light and was full of beautiful flowers and scenic views with plenty of space for their celebrity guests to enjoy themselves.