The two-bedroom, 1,550-square-foot Streeterville condominium that jazz great Ramsey Lewis owned until his death at age 87 in 2022 was listed in May and now is available for $489,900.
A Chicago native who grew up in the Cabrini-Green housing complex, the Grammy-winning Lewis was a pianist and composer, and he also hosted mornings from 1997 until 2009 on WNUA-FM, where he previously hosted a weekly show from 1990 until 1997.
In the Streeterville neighborhood, Lewis bought the condo in 2002 for $400,000. Until 1995, Lewis had owned a house next door to the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. in the South Side Jackson Park Highlands neighborhood.
Located on the sixth floor of a 36-story tower that was constructed in 1974, Lewis’ condo, which is being sold by his estate, has been fully renovated. The condo has two bathrooms, northwest views including of Water Tower Place and the John Hancock Center, an open floor plan, a high-end kitchen and modern built-ins throughout, listing agent Brady Miller of Chicago Real Estate Artists LLC told Elite Street.
Miller, who attended the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, has a jazz background himself, having spent many years in New York City performing and touring. He noted that his real estate agency was founded by musicians, and that the agency roots itself in that creativity.
“Everything in this unit is custom-designed, with very high-end finishes, and people notice that when they come through,” Miller said. “Everything is higher quality than people would have anticipated. There are a lot of high-end built-ins, and some secret areas too for storage. It also has nice, engineered hardwood floors throughout, and it’s easily expandable to be three bedrooms without really sacrificing any of the space in a meaningful way. And it’s a great building overall, with a large private balcony with really nice views.”
The condo had a $9,320 property tax bill in the 2022 tax year. It also has a $19,092-a-year homeowners association fee.
Ramsey’s estate first listed the unit in early May for $524,900, and several weeks later cut the asking price to $489,900.
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
