Celebrity Homes: Where They Lived Before They Became Famous

Kanye West – Chicago

Before living in a $57 million mega-mansion in Malibu or owning a ranch in Wyoming, Kanye West, known as Ye, spent his days in a modest frame house in Chicago, Illinois. Originally built in 1905, South Shore House was scheduled to be demolished in 2017 due to structural damage, but permits were later issued for repairs. Kanye’s childhood home has been completely remodeled.

Madonna – Detroit

While today the singer owns numerous luxury properties in London and Hollywood, Madonna began her life in a much more normal environment, in the Rochester Hills, a suburb of Detroit. She was born in Bay City, Michigan and moved into a renovated single-family home after a fire nearly destroyed it. Today the Material Girl also owns a luxury villa in Lisbon.

Eminem – Detroit

Near the 8 Mile Road made famous by the film of the same name, Eminem’s childhood home at 19946 Dresden Street was to become a museum. A modest wooden building, located in an almost abandoned area, was closed for a long time, and then burned down.
Now the singer lives in a mansion in Clinton Township, Michigan. The house was originally built in 1996 but was purchased by Eminem in 2000 for approximately $1.483.5 million.

Michael Jordan-Wilmington, NC

The former American professional basketball player and entrepreneur owns several properties in the United States, including a luxurious Florida mansion where he currently resides with his family. Michael Jordan’s estate in Highland Park, Illinois is one of his most famous properties. Covering 5,000 sqm, the home boasts 9 bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, a basketball court, a cigar room and gate number 23. The property has been on the market since 2012 and the current asking price is $14.9 million. However, as a child, the former champion lived in a simple house in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Beyoncé – Houston, Texas

Before Beyoncé became the queen of music, she lived with her parents in Houston, Texas. The Knowles family bought the French-style house in 1986 and lived in it until Beyoncé was 5 years old. Now the singer lives in a Malibu mansion with her husband Jay-Z. TMZ reported that the couple purchased a modernist mansion designed by famed Japanese architect Tadao Ando. With a sale price of $200 million, this acquisition looks set to break the record for the most expensive home in California. The house is a masterpiece of minimalism, a modern combination of concrete and glass, designed by art collector William Bell, who bought the house for $14.5 million in 2003. To implement the project, he invited the Japanese architect Tadao Ando, ​​winner of the Pritzker Prize. .

Michael Jackson – Gary the Sick

The family of singers in which Michael Jackson was born and raised. Eight brothers and just two bedrooms in a small house in Gary, a few miles from downtown Chicago. After the big success, the star built Neverland, a private mansion partially turned into a theme park. In 2005, Michael Jackson left Neverland for good, and the ranch was abandoned until 2008, when it was sold to Colony Capital due to the artist’s financial problems. After his death in 2009, Neverland was listed for sale in 2015 for $100 million, but only sold in 2020 for $22 million.