On an unseasonably chilly Saturday in May, Ciara ascended upon New York for the MET Gala, fashion’s glitziest night. The pop star arrived that morning on a red eye flight from LA, jetting straight to a fitting for the gala before heading to Yonkers, New York for her EBONY cover shoot. The location, Greystone Court, is a stone castle built in 1890. Perched high on a hill with river views, it’s no stranger to celebrity shoots.

Beyoncé shot her “Irreplaceable” video here. Martin Scorcese used the house as a backdrop in his HBO series “Boardwalk Empire.” Jennifer Lopez shot here, and Julia Roberts and Kirsten Dunst spent seven days at the house in 2002 to film scenes for “Mona Lisa Smile.”

Watch this exclusive video, where Ciara gives us an intimate look at the making of her epic EBONY cover shoot at the storied location, then check out the full story here.