Academy Award-winning actress Taraji P. Henson on Aug. 12 placed side-by-side condominiums that she owns on the 36th floor of a Streeterville high-rise on the market for a combined total of $3.379 million.
Henson, 53, has had a long career in Hollywood, including winning a Tony Award and six Emmy Awards. She began spending regular time in the Chicago area starting in 2015, when she starred in the Fox drama “Empire,” which was filmed in Chicago until it ended its run in 2020.
In Streeterville, Henson paid $1.925 million in 2017 through her Appian Trust to buy a three-bedroom, 2,540-square-foot unit in the building at 600 N. Lake Shore Drive. The unit offers views of the North Lake Shore Drive skyline, Ohio Street Beach, Olive Park and Navy Pier. The unit has 3-1/2 bathrooms, hardwood floors, a living room with a fireplace, motorized blinds, sconce lighting and custom wall coverings, a kitchen with granite countertops, a custom backsplash, a double oven and stainless steel appliances, and a primary bedroom suite with custom lighting, custom moldings, wall coverings, draperies, and a custom-built walk-in closet.
Two years later, Henson paid $1.554 million through her Appian Trust for a three-bedroom, 2,159-square-foot condo right next door. That unit has 2-1/2 bathrooms, more lake views, a primary bedroom suite with a steam shower, a dual vanity and a glass-surround walk-in shower, blackout shades in all bedrooms, custom-built closets throughout, and a kitchen with a newer stainless steel Samsung refrigerator, a newer Bosch dishwasher, a gas cooktop, a double oven, granite countertops and a custom tile backsplash.
Based on real estate listing information published on Aug. 12, Henson never combined the two units into one. However, in listing remarks, Henson’s real estate agent, Stephanie Maloney, points out that as the two units have the same owner, they could be combined to create 4,699 square feet of custom living space “with mesmerizing lack and city views.”
The larger unit had a $26,281 property tax bill in the 2023 tax year, while the smaller one carried a $22,043 property tax bill in the 2023 tax year.
Maloney, declined to comment on the listings.
Henson also owns a three-bedroom, 3,188-square-foot house in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills area, which she purchased in 2016 for $6.45 million.
Meanwhile, the six-bedroom, 17,597-square-foot mansion in Barrington Hills that was the backdrop for the show “Empire” remains on the market for $7.895 million. Owner Salvatore “Sam” Cecola has had the mansion on and off the market since 2014, when he first listed it for $13.5 million. On “Empire,” the mansion is the home of record mogul and lead character Lucious Lyon, played by Terrence Howard.
Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.