A new crime drama starring a New Jersey actress has several familiar sites scattered throughout its created universe, including a historic home near Lincoln Park.
Following the Super Bowl last month, CBS premiered “The Equalizer” starring Queen Latifah. Born Dana Owens, the versatile entertainer grew up in East Orange before rising to fame as a rapper in the 1990s and later starring in the TV series “Living Single.”
Queen Latifah’s diverse career includes Grammy, Emmy, and Golden Globe wins plus an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 2002 film adaptation of Chicago. The first hip-hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Latifah also produces “The Equalizer” and has chosen to include several New Jersey locations in the show.
Celebrity real estate site Dirt did some digging on a house that is used as the fictional home for Latifah’s character in the series. The outlet was led to a Victorian-style home on Gifford Avenue and filming has taken place around the property in recent months.
Built in 1908, the three-story home is part of the West Bergen-East Lincoln Park Historical District and appears to have been updated in recent years. The neighborhood was first built as a “streetcar suburb” of Jersey City and New York City and the character of the area still keeps that ethos despite a century of changes.
The home used in “The Equalizer” last sold in 2015 and occupies a lot just over 9,000 square feet. The eight-bedroom property includes five and a half bathrooms and over 5,200 square feet of living space plus a detached garage on a tree-lined street just a block from Lincoln Park.
The interior of the home doesn’t look like it has made an appearance on the show, as production is utilizing the former Izod Center in East Rutherford as its studio. “The Equalizer” has however shot some scenes throughout the Garden State at locations including the Newark Public Library.
Queen Latifah has continued to have a presence in New Jersey despite her fame and owned a Downtown Jersey City property for years that was both a residence and home base for her Flavor Unit production company. She is also partnering on a partial-affordable housing development in Newark called Rise that includes 1,900 square feet of space for local non-profits.
The series will continue to shoot through the spring and CBS currently airs new episodes on Sundays at 8/7c.
